


Saving Us

by vyriand



Series: The Two Worlds [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8580499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vyriand/pseuds/vyriand
Summary: Yuuri inched back, but Victor finger trailed down, lightly tracing the shape of his neck until it landed on the back. He kept Yuuri from retreating further and leaned down until his lips touched Yuuri's ear. "Just because. Live with me?" After failing the Grand Prix with terrible result, Katsuki Yuuri planned to retire. Miracles threw him into Victor's life. Victuuri pair.





	1. Falling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaizuka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaizuka/gifts).



> I actually want to have it posted much sooner. It's just hard to gather up the courage to finally make a first post in AO3. I've been infatuated with this anime since the first episode...and after hearing a song composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, I was strike with by the plot bunny. It just won't leave me...and so here I am, posting! LOL. The initial idea was so dark though and after much revising, it becomes a lighter version.
> 
> Also, I decided to make an account thanks to Kaizuka's Unwritten. It was a fabulous story. It still is. And it remains one of my favorite Victuuri stories. And so, this first chapter is my way of saying how much I'm grateful for Kaizuka's amazing work <3
> 
> Finally, this work is not beta'ed so there might be grammatical mistakes here and there...but I doubt it'll be too horrid (I'm consoling myself OTL).

That day, the blue of the sky was blocked by thick, grey cloud. It felt humid and my shirt stuck to my back. It was terrible and uncomfortable. Amongst the chatter, there was a faint sound of announcement being made outside. Hearing that, I woke up from the bed, swallowing down the bile that threatened to spill. I had a bad fever after the end of the competition, but I forced myself to get up and walked to the announcement area.

I wished I'd never woken up.

I'd been in ballet for so long, I couldn't remember when I started anymore. It didn't mean I was naturally good at it, no. It took a lot of hard work until I could obtain the current skill. I thought I was good at it, but Minako-sensei told me something was missing from my dance. I had the skill, but even she couldn't tell what was the missing part. Having the most fragile heart of class, I quitted ballet.I tried to find something else to complete me.

Meeting Yuuko and Nishigori Takeshi introduced me to figure skating. And…well, they said I was good at it. I was easily elated, knowing I had the right balance and body movement from my time spent in ballet. Even when they were my seniors, I quickly surpassed them. I thought figure skating was my calling. I thought, that missing "something" could be found in skating.

I skated like I was born in the rink and gotten so good that I won competitions after competitions. I even managed to win my way to the final of the Grand Prix. It was the world championship program for figure skating and I was expected to win. I expected myself photographed and holding the trophy. But no. I wasn't. Let alone winning, I didn't even get to the second place. Worse than that, in fact. I ended up at the last spot.

My breath quickened. I almost spasm but I gritted my teeth, refusing to let the tears fall. Endure it, I told myself. Harden my heart. I could cry as much as I want later. For now, I should show a poker face. Placing at the last was one of the worst I'd had. I didn't need to add crying in public on top of it.

I wasn't sure what kind of face I made after seeing the result. The event was a blur from the shock. I faintly remembered giving a tight smile to the Chris despite refusing still to congratulate the man for his win. I even managed to apologize politely to a Japanese reporter, declining an interview. Who the heck needed to read an interview with a loser anyway?

"I'm sorry, I'm still feverish so I need to go back to the infirmary," I apologized to the reporter. He was insistent. I was at my limit and almost snapped when a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

"I never gave you permission to leave the infirmary, Katsuki-kun!" I blinked at the doctor's stern reprimand. When I looked at his eyes though, he was smiling. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" I replied, almost too eagerly.

The doctor came at the best time. I knew I would ruin my reputation further if I snapped at that reporter. So I just let the man in white coat dragged me back to my assigned bed. He left me there, saying nothing to me. I guessed he had seen the result.

I sighed. I understood why I was given the last place but the scores were completely horrid.

"Why?" I asked the ceiling as I put my head to a rest on the pillow.

Unexpectedly, I got a reply, followed by the sound of the curtain being dragged. I didn't know when the other person got into the room. There was no sound of door opening after I entered, so I guessed the guest was here all along.

"It's not due to lack of skills that you placed last, Katsuki Yuuri-kun," the newcomer said with a shrug.

I almost jumped out of the bed in surprise, but stopped. Entering my cubicle was a middle-aged man of brown slick hair and black rimmed glasses. His style was so clean-cut, almost like a business man. His suits reminded me of the Yakuza. I remembered this man so well, having seen him almost in every competition.

"What do you mean, Eigar-san?"

Eigar Black was one of the judges in the competition. I'd seen him frowning a lot at my performance, but he never really gave low scores. True that from all the judges, he always gave me the worst, but I always thought it was because his standard was extremely high. Apparently, it was not about that.

The man hunched slightly, dragging a chair to the side of the bed. He sat down with his legs and arms crossed. Eiger-san started with a sigh. "You know, you're one of my favorite contestant."

I nodded hesitantly. I wasn't sure where he was going with that.

"I've always given you high scores overall…except execution and interpretation. I'm not referring to your technical skill, Katsuki-kun," he hastily added, seeing I was about to object. "You're performing while fearing to fail. You were always so controlled; it was almost boring. You're not a robot."

I tilted my head in confusion.

"You're highly skilled. Your talent easily surpassed anyone, but each of your dances were…so anxious. Today, especially. I can feel your fear. Also, at the second part of the short program, you became emotionless." Eigar paused, taking in my reaction. I wasn't sure what feedback I should have given, but he smiled lightly. "On Love: Eros. That was your song. Tell me, Katsuki-kun, were you thinking of anyone during the performance?"

My mouth opened, a defensive reaction by a question threatening my pride. No words came out. There was no one. There was nothing coming up. I danced just like how I was expected to. A hot steaming bowl of Katsudon appeared in my mind suddenly, and I opened my mouth again to speak.

"Don't," Eigar-san's hand rose up to my cover my mouth. "If you force yourself to come up with something and ended up saying it, that'll become the truth. Don't say anything you don't really mean, Katsuki-kun, or it'll be the end of your career."

"But I…"

Eigar-san rose up from his seat and walked toward the door. Before he stepped out, he said, "Katsuki-kun, I liked you. Really. It wasn't a lie when I said you're my favorite contestant. However, you need to fix your performance. You were placed in the bottom because every other contestant performed so well this time. You failed at the quadruple salchow and the last triple was bad. Maybe you've been taking more than you can chew, Katsuki-kun."

He left without waiting for my response. I listened to the soft click of the door and the footsteps that slowly faded away. I was left to melt as the acid burn my soul.

I laid down, covering my eyes with my arms. Hotness trailed down, wetting the pillow sheet.

* * *

It was already night when I woke up again. The arena was silent and no one except the doctor and I were left in the infirmary. I climbed down the bed and walked to the other man.

"Doctor. I never thanked you earlier," I prompted. The doctor looked up from the chart he was reading and smiled. "So, thank you."

"You're much welcome, Katsuki Yuuri-san. It was an honor." I tilted my head in confusion. The man laughed in response. "I admired you the most, among others. You've great skills and seeing you dance, it was as if the world is all about you and music."

"I got the last place, if you remember." It came out a bit snide, but the man didn't take offense. He certainly noticed my puffy eyes. He said nothing, and I didn't care.

Instead of remarking my statement, he nodded, as if he knew something I didn't. "You did. Despite everything, I still liked your performance. Once you've found that certain something that will complete you as a human, and as a figure skater, you'll rise to the top. I can guarantee it."

"Certain…something…?" Eigar-san said something about it. But… "Do you know the answer to that? What is this _certain something_?"

The doctor gave a secretive smile and hushed me out. "Take care of yourself," He paused, frowning a bit. He seemed to debate over something in his head, so I waited. It took a minute too long before he finally yielded and said, "We're human, Katsuki-san."

And then the door was slammed shut on my face.

There was a long stretch of silence as I stood there, unable to just move. I just stared at the metallic round knob against the brown of the wooden door. Inside of my head was a chaos of thoughts.

_We're human, Katsuki-san._

So he was saying he had every right to like or dislike, to tell or not. Didn't he realize how frustrated I was? I inhaled deeply, almost wanting to scream from the top of my lungs. I stopped halfway and just sighed resignedly. This was all that was left of me. Slowly, almost ghastly, I walked toward the locker where I left my clothes and skate shoes.

It was already very late in the night for there was no one left in it. I didn't check the clock. I went straight to my locker. At the small door, I glare at the blue metallic door, hoping it'd grow teeth. It gave me a silent treatment. Of course. What'd I expect?

Fishing out the key, I inserted it into the keyhole and punched in the combination number with force. It still gave a soft click, uncaring of my pathetic internal turmoil. Inside was the black skate shoes Yuuko brought for me to congratulate my first time entering the Grand Prix. It used to be so precious and I was always excited to wear it. Tonight, though, I could almost feel the shoes were mocking my fail.

I took it out, thinking. I should stop skating. I wasn't meant for this. I thought I'd found something. Indeed. I found how much I was overestimating myself. And this fail, it was an eye opener.

But…

Just one last time, I told myself. One last dance, and I'm done. I'll quit figure skating. This would be my last performance. For Yuuko. For Nishigori. For my family. For Minako-sensei. For myself. I needed to pull down the curtain.

I put on the shoes with heavy heart, and entered the rink.

Eyes closed, I recalled the song in my head. On Love: Eros. It was a song of love and seduction. Minako-sensei and my coach, Celestino, helped me with the choreograph. This song wasn't meant for me, but I trusted their judgement. They said it would be a good chance to improve myself. I didn't understand what it meant. I still didn't.

The music started, and I moved, smirking as if I was about to seduce a man to eat the most delicious Katsudon in the world. The Katsudon was me. I am seducing people. I am Eros. Eros is me. This was an interpretation I came up with. When I told Celestino, he sighed but told me to go on with it. Minako-sensei frowned and said I'd get it someday. I had failed them.

There was no one watching me, but I could hear the crowd's disappointed sighs. I could perform even better than this. I could show the best Eros of me.

I jumped. I spin. The steps I made was dripping with invitation to taste. Still, nothing changed. The crowds in my head were still showing disappointed gaze.

Reaching the end of the song, I still have one more combination toe loops. Quadruple toe loop first. I landed on my right foot perfectly. And I quickly executed the next loop. It was a triple toe loop; a technique I was very much familiar with. I almost never failed this one. My left feet moved back, a preparation for another jump, but just as I put in more power to my legs, something happened.

The rink was full of mist. I barely able to see what was in front of me. "What in the…"

Then, the world tilted as my toe loop failed. My feet stumbled, I was thrown back. My back landed on the ice and the back of my head hit the wall. I groaned as my head throbbed in massive pain. Then everything went dark. The last thing I remembered before fainting was seeing the ice melted and my body hit by piercing cold as I drowned in the melted ice.

* * *

Victor Nikiforov was bored. Seriously, deadly bored. There was nothing exciting happening lately, and with his fifth consecutive winnings in the Grand Prix, he found no challenge in doing what he was doing anymore. It began with a boredom, and Victor was sure as hell it would ended with him hating figure skating.

He loved skating and would not want to hate it, but at this rate…

Victor stopped walking. Dawn barely break, and there was only a fine thread of orange light on the sky, visible from long horizontal glass above the skate rink. Victor was pretty sure he was the first to visit the rink, because the security only opened the lock when he came. So, yeah, it was impossible to find one human lying on the frozen ice in the middle of the rink. Yep. He was hallucinating.

The platinum blond rubbed his eyes several times, yet the figure was still there. With Victor's perfect eyesight, it was impossible to miss the way that person's jet black hair and black t-shirt contrasting against the white of the ice. There really was a human lying on the ice.

_On ice…?_

"Oh no!" He cried. Victor was thankful he'd already put on his skate shoes because the moment his feet touched the ice, he glided like a swan in the lake.

Slowing down, Victor kneeled down and softly patted the unconscious person. When he was this close, Victor was…amazed. He hadn't seen anyone having hair so black it almost swallowed the color of the ice. The person - now identified as a young male - had long eyelashes that clashed with his fair skin. His lips were trembling and pale, as did his body.

Victor slipped his hand on the back of the man's neck and lifted his head. A weak whimper escaped from those tiny lips. The sound he made alerted Victor of the urgency. The man's body was colder than a corpse, it was a miracle he was still alive.

Not wasting any more time, Victor lifted the man in bridal style. When Victor held him like that, he could feel the man was shaking badly. It was likely the young man was developing the symptoms of hypothermia along with frostbite. He wasn't sure if this man could be saved, but Victor wasn't about to guess.

He skated toward the exit of the rink and shouted for help. At this time, there was only the security who opened up the door for him. As he expected, the man came running. His bald head was glistening with sweat from rushing.

"What happened?!" Victor almost laughed at the comical scene where the bulky bald man took out the baton, falsely assuming a robbery happened. If not for another weak whimper from the young one in his arms.

"Smith, take him for me. I need to change my shoes. Meet me at the front."

Victor dumped the raven carefully to Smith and hastily changed his shoes. He knew Smith well to know his mystery man was taken care of. Wearing his sport shoes had never been so difficult for Victor. In between his worry and concern for the mysterious man, wearing and tying his shoes was a big obstacle.

"Finally!" He huffed in annoyance and ran out to the front door.

As he instructed, Smith was waiting near Victor's car. He even managed to steal a thick blanket and wrapped the poor raven with it. Victor mentally thanked the man. He patted Smith's muscled arm gratefully and unlocked the door to his car.

"Put him in. I'm going to drive him to the hospital."

Smith obeyed, even being extra careful when the raven's head almost hit the roof of Victor's car. "Tell me how he'd got in there later, okay?" He motioned at the skate rink.

Victor gave Smith a small from the driver seat. Looking through the rearview mirror, the other male was paler than ever. His lips were a bit bluish now and his face was ashy. If Victor couldn't get him fast enough to the hospital, the worst could happen. And Victor didn't want to consider about the guilt that would haunt him for a very long time.

The man hastily started the engine, sighing contently when his baby gave a low purr. Usually Victor would wait for the engine to warm up, but this time, it was emergency. He didn't have time to wait, so he hit on the gas and drive like a madman. He was lucky the street was empty this early. Victor barely met other cars and within record time, he arrived at the hospital.

As quickly but still as gently as he could, Victor lifted the unconscious man out from his car. The building towered over them quickly enveloping the two in pristine white walls. The hospital's sliding door gave a low hiss as he passed through. Victor's blue eyes scanned around frantically. He needed someone…some…

"A Nurse! Wait!" He cried when a nurse came out from behind the reception desk. "This man here needs an immediate help!"

A brunette nurse was surprised at the sudden shout, but seeing the black-haired man's violent shivering, she gasped. "Marta! Quickly prepare a bed! Call the doctor!"

Another nurse with red hair appeared from one of the room. Seeing the bundle in Victor's arms, she hastily ran to the doctor's room. Victor followed the first nurse until he could put the raven down on the bed. And then the brunette nurse just shooed him off.

Now left alone waiting outside of the emergency room, Victor's head finally caught up.

"Just…what in the world…"

* * *

There was a bad pain on the back of his head. It made his eyes throbbed in pain too. Yuuri groaned, feeling his body going rigid and unresponsive. What happened? His brain made the statement, but Yuuri knew he needed to wake up first before knowing the answer.

Eyes fluttering open, Yuuri groaned more loudly at the invading light from the ceiling. Unfamiliar, his brain registered. He blinked again, adjusting his eyes to the shine.

"Uhh…"

"Ah, you're awake! Thank goodness!"

Yuuri's head turned the slightest at the voice he didn't recognize. Beside his bed was a platinum blond with eyes so blue, it reminded Yuuri of Hasetsu's clearest sky. This man was really…attractive, he noted weakly.

"Where…am I?" Yuuri's voice croaked. Speaking was hurting his parched throat.

The stranger pressed a button on the side of his bed. Afterwards, he reached to the small table and offered a glass of water to the sick man. Yuuri gratefully accepted the offer for help. The man's finger brushed Yuuri's hair from the side of his neck, sending a warm jolt to the younger male. His large and warm palm felt nice on the back of Yuuri's neck. Thankfully, the glass he put by Yuuri's lips distracted the raven. Water was more important at this moment.

"You're in the hospital near the rink," the man replied unfocusedly.

Yuuri relished on the coldness of the liquid running down his throat. "Hospital…?" He asked weakly.

Instead of answering, the man kept looking back towards the door. "Are you expecting someone? If so, you can go. I can call someone to take care of me. Thank you…for your help." Yuuri told him after he put down the glass on the table. Yuuri might not have so many friends here, but he could call Celestino and…

At the raven's statement, the man was genuinely surprised. Also, this might just Yuuri's pain-addled brain hallucinations, but the handsome stranger looked disappointed…and…hurt. Yeah, right. As if.

The blond shook his head and helped Yuuri to lie down again. "I'm expecting the nurse."

"Oh." Yuuri's cheek burn and it had nothing to do with the weather. "Right. Okay."

Instead of being offended, the platinum blond grinned. "What, you think I'd left you just like that? I won't do that."

But Yuuri was just a stranger to him…

"Why?" The raven asked. He couldn't understand how he'd want to take care of Yuuri, if that was what the blond was hinting at. "We're strangers."

To respond Yuuri's inquiry, the older man took the raven's right hand. Yuuri was confused, unable to pull back, half because he still felt really weak. Another half…it simply felt nice to have someone touched him like this. Yuuri had been plunging himself into training, he barely remembered when was the last time someone initiated contact with him outside of the skating matters.

"I'm Victor. Victor Nikiforov. What's your name?" The blond spiritedly shook Yuuri's hand.

Victor's cheerfulness was contagious. His smile lifted Yuuri's lips to form a similar but tired grin. "Katsuki Yuuri."

"Now we're not strangers anymore, so I have every right to be here for you."

Yuuri blinked. "Oh. I-I guess?"

The younger male didn't pull away when Victor purposely caressed his thumb. It was a very strange but pleasant feeling, like warm liquid running through his vein, heating his body.

"Um… ?"

"Call me Victor. What is it, Yuuri?"

Okay. This was the first time Yuuri heard someone used his name so erotically. This guy was definitely a brilliant Casanova.

"Um. Yeah. Victor…you…can let go of my hand now…" Yuuri stuttered. He wasn't complaining. No. He knew he wanted the contact, but anymore of this and he'd have problem. He was about to panic, unable to make an excuse, before the best excuse came with a pad. "The nurse is coming." He said hastily.

Victor turned back and finally released his hand. The blond politely greeted the nurse, nodding and speaking with hushed tones. The nurse nodded back and smiled.

Victor moved to the other side of Yuuri's bed while the nurse take up Victor's earlier space. She pulled the IV bag to check the content then jotted down some numbers. Turning to face the patient, the nurse asked several questions regarding the raven's physical condition. It began with some very basic question like how he felt. Did he feel cold, and such? Later on, it became more specific, but mostly if Yuuri found it hard to breath or move any part of his limbs.

According to the nurse, Yuuri almost had hypothermia and a moderately severe frostbite. How he'd gotten frostbite, Yuuri was clueless. No, wait…

Yuuri waited for the nurse to finish the inquiries and left him alone with Victor. The moment the door was shut, Yuuri turned to face Victor. His eyes were serious and that prompted Victor to straighten up. It was a good thing Yuuri was placed in a private room.

"Victor, I need to ask you some questions."

"Sure. I have some too, but go on."

Information trade? Guess it wouldn't hurt to do that as long as he wasn't put in disadvantage. It was strange, still. Though figure skating wasn't exactly famous, but in the last season of figure skating grand prix was held here, in London. Being one of the top skater from Japan, Yuuri was a little bit famous. If his memory served right, he fainted at the rink. Assuming he was taken to the hospital nearby, there would be some people bound to recognize him. None of the people he met shown any sort of recognition after seeing him.

So, first thing's first…

"Are you the one who find me?"

"Uh-huh! You were fainting on the rink."

Yuuri nodded. That matched his memory. He remembered the ice melted and he was drowning in the ice…was it always that deep? Normal ice rink should only have about one inch thick…

"Did you see any water, any puddle?"

Victor closed his eyes, recalling the memory. "Nope." He replied with confidence. "I'm very sure. I skated to the center to reach you and there wasn't any around."

Was he imagining things? Also…that wasn't right. Yuuri hit his head on the wall. That meant, he was far from the center. But Victor said he skated to the center of the rink. Seeing as he almost fell victim to the hypothermia and frostbite, it was safe to assume he'd been there for quite sometimes. He wasn't wearing the thickest clothes for training after all.

"Where is this place?"

Victor looked confused for a moment. "Uh…the Detroit Royal Hospital? It was nearby the rink where you fainted."

Detroit? America? What in the world…? He was supposed to be in London!

"No no no. Wait," Yuuri tried to move his body again. Pain hit him and the raven hissed. Murmuring a soft thanks to Victor for helping him sit, Yuuri inhaled deeply to calm himself. "…you said you were at the rink when you found me," Victor nodded in acknowledgement. "So you're a skater?"

Victor nodded again, and grinned proudly. "Yep! A few days ago, I won the Grand Prix!"

What? No way! Okay this was definitely weird! It was true that the grand prix had ended, but Yuuri had never heard of one Victor Nikiforov…or anyone with that name winning any figure skating competition. It should be Christophe Giacometti, not Victor.

"Okay, this is creepy. Victor, what's the date?"

The blond looked very confused, but he still answered the question. "December 15th, 201X."

"How long have I been out?"

"About three days from when I found you."

The grand prix Yuuri remembered ended on December 10th. It was the day he decided to drop his career as a figure skater. Adding three days to it, today should be December 13th, not 15th. Was it possible that he had fainted for two days without no one knowing? No, it wasn't right.

"Have you ever seen me in that rink before?"

Victor was even more confused. He'd be so freaked out with Yuuri's barrage of bizarre questions by now. "No. I was there every day so I'm pretty sure I've at least known most of the regulars."

Yuuri had seen this kind of development in some…fantasy manga. But…was it even possible to happen at all? Fear grew, gnawing at his mind.

Slowly, he licked his lips and asked, "…do you recognize the name Christophe Giacometti?"

"Um…no. Am I supposed to know him?"

Yuuri sighed. This confirmed it. It wasn't so hard to put one and one together. He wished it was so much harder, and a deeper mystery. Knowing it didn't help at this point. Or maybe it would, seeing Yuuri was determined to stop skating. Maybe it was some deity's funny way to support his decision. He should feel more afraid too. More confused. But Yuuri was calm. A bit too level-headed, even.

"Yuuri?"

The said raven looked up, meeting Victor's blue eyes. It held concern for his well-being. Such a strange man. Why would he show so much care to someone he barely knew?

"Do you know any place I can rent?"

"What?" The man was taken aback at the seemingly random question. "Why?"

Should he tell Victor? Hm. Nah. Victor wouldn't believe him. Heck, Yuuri himself couldn't believe it. Besides, it wasn't final yet. He'd have visit Hasetsu to be sure. For now, it was safe to assume no one knew him here.

"I…I'll need a place to stay when I'm released, right? I also need to find a job to pay for the hospital fees…"

Would anyone hire someone without identity like him? Thinking about future finally made him restless. This made him realize he had nothing else worth noting. If he let go of skating, where else could he turn to? He was alone in this strange place.

Having Victor here was so much comfort to Yuuri, though. Victor seemed like a good guy who'd help him find some jobs…and a place to live. Oh, geez. The future never looked so bleak.

Yuuri didn't notice the sudden silence that dawned in the room. He was busy thinking about his next step; about how he would survive this place without identity and anyone else to depend on. This was a matter of life and death to Yuuri. He didn't realize Victor was analyzing his countenance and was planning the future for both of them.

"Yuuri," Victor called, pulling closer to the raven. With one long finger, he brushed along Yuuri's collarbone to his chin. And with a slight push, he tilted Yuuri's head up, meeting his eyes. Their faces were inches apart. "Live with me."

There was a pregnant pause.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!"

"Live with me." He said again, pulling their faces closer until Yuuri could feel Victor's breath caressing his lips. Yuuri fought back the blush that was definitely forming. He could see it because of Victor's amused smirk.

"W-why…?"

Yuuri inched back, but Victor finger trailed down, lightly tracing the shape of his neck until it landed on the back. He kept Yuuri from retreating further and leaned down until his lips touched Yuuri's ear.

"Just because. Live with me?"

This Victor was one hell of a seducer. Yuuri couldn't stop his body from shivering. And with him being so close, whispering sweetness into his ears, Yuuri melted on the spot. Mesmerized and hypnotized, Yuuri nodded like a puppet.

"O-okay…"


	2. Living Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After accepting Victor's offer, Yuuri found himself in Victor's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your responses! Especially ayaMASO for making my day! You're the best! I still laugh very hard when reading your comments again :''D  
> This chapter is dedicated to you, friend. Let all those teeth rot anyway! Victuuri's so worth it! XD
> 
> As usual, this chapter isn't beta'ed. So please pardon me for making mistakes (if any) :)

One week after the conversation in the hospital found Yuuri standing in front of the biggest mansion he'd ever seen. Victor's car was a luxury Yuuri would never had. This mansion, though, blown his mind like never before. He had never been one to flaunt his earnings, preferring to give almost all of it to his parents. Even then, Yuuri couldn't imagine just how much Victor was making to buy all of these.

"Come on in, Yuuri."

The raven ran after Victor into the lift area. Even the lift was heavily decorated. Gold colored engraving framed the door. Inside the lift was all marble. The Japanese couldn't help but gawk. Victor secretly smiled, seeing the innocence-looking youth being so excited about everything. He would have more time to explore later and it would definitely be a good scene to watch.

The lift gave a loud ding, signifying their destination. Victor walked out first, leading the way to his home. Yuuri followed behind him like a scared chick, curious but fearing the unknown. It made Victor wanted to tease him about it, but doing that might not be wise at this moment. Yuuri was so insecure about everything that Victor feared he would overload himself with too much unnecessary thoughts.

He wasn't too far-fetched, in fact.

Yuuri was thankful Victor hadn't asked anything yet. He would, very soon. Yuuri was sure of it. He could feel Victor's curiosity, but was grateful for his tact. That gave him time to think of some answers. Knowing no one in this familiar yet strange place, Victor was Yuuri's anchor.

 "Yuuri," Victor pulled the raven to him and slipped a hand around his waist. Their body almost touched. His other hand had one finger tracing Yuuri's lips. "What are you thinking about?"

Blushing hard, Yuuri's scrambled mind hastily put out a reactive answer.

"Nothing!" It came out almost like a shriek.

Victor pouted and tighten his grips. "Bad boy, Yuuri. It's not good lying to your friend and benefactor."

"Ah…I'm not…"

"I know," he whispered, their lips almost touching. "You're thinking hard about when I asked you my questions. But not to worry," Victor said, purposely brushed his lips lightly against Yuuri's nose. He grinned knowingly, happy that Yuuri’s face turned red again. Finally, he released his grip and stepped back. "I won't ask you right now. At least not until you're ready to share."

His smile…God. Yuuri could hardly believe himself. Not even his closest people ever treated him like this, like Yuuri was a treasure. Victor easily lifted him so high in the cloud. And it was bad. Yuuri knew himself so well. He was the type to fall in love so easily, and be hurt so deep when rejected. After Yuuko married their childhood friend, Nishigoro Takeshi, Yuuri was so heartbroken, he didn't attempt to get any closer to other girls fearing the same pain. Nevertheless, having Yuuko with Takeshi was good for him. Yuuri loved both Takeshi and Yuuko enough to ease the pain.

Different could be said about Victor. If somehow Yuuri fell for the man, he was so sure his heart would break to pieces. Victor was too perfect for someone like Yuuri.

He turned his eyes, directing his gaze anywhere but Victor's. Yuuri pretended not to hear Victor's last statement. Despite everything Victor had done for him, Yuuri wasn't ready to share his secret yet. Maybe someday, but definitely not now.

Sensing his discomfort, Victor ruffled Yuuri's hair affectionately. "Don't think so hard. It's okay, Yuuri. Let's go in."

The Japanese obeyed, glad that Victor willingly dropped the topic. Cautiously, he entered the dark entrance. He stood very still as Victor navigated expertly around the raven, finding the switch on the wall to Yuuri's left. Yuuri's heart wouldn't last if his skin touched Victor's right now. It was still beating very loudly right now; Victor could probably hear it.

Finally, with a click, the light was turned on. With enough light illuminating the room, Yuuri threw his fear aside and embraced his curiosity to gawk. Everything in this room reflected Victor's personality very much. The wall was pristine white but colorful paintings made it so much lively. His sofa was simple black, but it fitted nicely to the elegant room. The overall decoration was so…Victor; a bit messy, artful but a safe haven.

Victor took off his shoes and walked along the corridor, into the living room. Yuuri followed suit, seeing more of the room. To the right was the kitchen, complete with expensive-looking kitchen sets but empty of foods on the counter. Right in front of the counter was a set of beige-colored dining table and chairs. To his left was the sofa and TV. There were several blue-covered cushions arranged haphazardly on the black sofa. Not far from the sofa was a glass sliding door, leading to the balcony. Yuuri could see buildings spread far and disappear into the horizon. Finally, from where he stood, there was another corridor that led to several doors.

Victor took the initiative to show Yuuri his home. Reaching the first door to the left, he motioned with his thumb. "This door here's the bathroom. At the end of the corridor to the right is some sort of…library and study room. I collected music records there, so feel free to use it, but take care of the records. They're fragile." He added a wink. Yuuri blinked, then nodded slowly.

"Then, the doors on the right are my room and the guest rooms. You can pick whichever you liked. Ah, you're also welcome to sleep with me."

Victor said the last sentence with a tone heavily laced with seduction. The way his eyes became half-lidded, it was ignited bad reaction to Yuuri's heart. For a good measure, Yuuri took a large step back. It'd be bad if he fell victim to this guy's pheromone. If there was anything he learned after a week meeting Victor, it was that Victor's seduction usually led to Yuuri being teased physically. _That_ was really… _really_ bad.

Yuuri pondered if he should step back like usual or ran away. Stepping back sometimes wouldn't work and Victor had learned enough of Yuuri's keep-the-distance tactic to purposely drew closer. It was time to use a new one.

"Ah…um. I'll take the last room then."

Yuuri escaped into the said room and locked himself inside and willed himself to hide for at least an hour.

* * *

 Victor laughed. The raven he rescued had just escaped from him. He reminded Victor of Makkachin, his beloved poodle. The canine was a sweetheart, but sometimes it would run away from him. Teasing the young man was too much fun, Victor couldn't find the will to stop. His reaction was always so fresh. When Victor thought he had gotten a way to get rid of one obstacle, he devised a new escape tactic. Really, he was so amusing. The laughter continued into a snicker. It had been so long since he laughed so openly like this.

From the very first time Victor found the black-haired man lying in the middle of the rink unconscious, Victor's world shifted. It changed drastically. He was no longer bored. He laughed a lot. He teased Yuuri a lot. Every day was rainbow…but still, something was bothering the Grand Prix winner.

He made no effort to hide the fact that he was curious about the beautiful young man. And that fact bothered Yuuri a lot. The doctor told him to take it easy because there might be some after effect to Yuuri's brain after they found a big lump at the back of his head. The expert said he might be disoriented. Yuuri looked far from that. He also said something about having headaches. Didn't seem like Yuuri have one. Amnesia, the doctor said, was a high probability. Victor wasn't convinced.

Victor was dead curious.

From the way he inquired Victor a week ago, the older man easily deduced Yuuri knew what happened to himself. Yuuri never developed an amnesia. Still, something was amiss. He was disoriented for a bit, but quickly recovered. Yuuri avoided Victor and it was a clear indication that Yuuri didn't want Victor to ask.

Victor glared into the door to the room Yuuri picked. He needed to open up the other male. He was too rigid. It was as if he was thrown into a big and dangerous world with no way to defend himself. He was venerable and insecure. That triggered a protective instinct inside Victor. Sounded like a lie after all his teasing, but Victor did feel a strong attachment to help Yuuri.

That was what he decided, yet…Yuuri hid himself from Victor. The skater sighed. Maybe it'd be best to offer a truce.

Victor knocked the door twice. "Yuuri?" There was no answer but Victor patiently waited. "Let's eat? I'm hungry." As if agreeing, his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Yuuri?" He prompted again.

It was five seconds later that the door to the heaven was opened. The angel that hid himself finally came out with a beautiful red to his cheek. Damn it, did he have to be this cute?

_Restrain yourself, Victor!_

Victor smiled widely; a smile he usually reserved for the press and photo sessions. Yuuri wouldn't appreciate some skinship in this state, despite how much Victor wanted to. Yuuri fitted into his arms so well, it was almost scary.

"I'm hungry…too…" the younger male trailed off still with a blush so red, so beautiful. Victor berated himself to stop his arms from moving by themselves.

Instead, he offered a rigid smile. "Good. Let's go eat some pizza! Oh, and I will introduce you to Makkachin later! I left him in the salon so we'll fetch him on our way back! I'm very sure you'll love him!"

It was a desperate attempt to shift the conversation, he knew, but it worked. Yuuri laughed and shook his head as he told Victor he wanted to change first.

* * *

 Two months easily passed by during Yuuri's stay with Victor. The latter was a constant tease and Yuuri easily fall victim to his pranks. Victor laughed a lot. He liked to hug Yuuri. He often invited Yuuri to his bed. He liked to caress Yuri's skin in such a way that Yuuri felt warm jolts running through his vein.

Victor was beautiful.

Victor was funny.

Victor was amazing.

Victor was everything Yuuri wanted to be.

Yuuri liked Victor but the fact that the older male was a champion for five years in a row in the Grand Prix, it didn't sit well with him. Grand Prix was a sore spot to Yuuri.

The raven never told Victor about him being a figure skater. He didn't want Victor to know. After all, Yuuri had decided to quit. Competition didn't mix well with his low self-esteem; a big problem he always had. If Victor found out about his real occupation, Victor would surely insist to see Yuuri perform. Then, he would be disappointed.

Disappointment from Victor would be the last nail to the coffin. Yuuri wasn't sure he would be able to get back up again. Maybe that was also why Yuuri was so desperate. He said he wanted to quit, but even now, he kept practicing. He refused Victor's invitation to visit the rink, but he couldn't stop training in secret when Victor was away. Deep inside of him, maybe he'd hoped to return. Without a reason, though, it would be difficult.

Yuuri heaved a deep sigh. Without skating, he had no source of income. Without income, he couldn't pay Victor for his hospital fees. Not to mention, Victor had been providing him with foods and lodging. A pair of glasses also became a new debt. Yuuri planned to keep quiet about his bad eyesight but Victor noticed the way Yuuri frowned when looking far. He tricked Yuuri into visiting the optician. So money was necessary. But…what could he do? He had tried to apply for easier job like in a restaurant, but as expected, seeing his Japanese look, they immediately asked for identification. He had none with him.

There was Victor's invitation to the rink too. Yuuri was tempted, to be honest. Two months were too long a time since he last putting on the shoes. It felt like an inch that was so obscure that wouldn't go away with scratching his legs or arms. He missed the rink. He missed skating. Doing ballet alone in his room wasn't helping.

Maybe he could ask Victor to recommend him to a job at the rink? Yuuri breathed out a long sigh. He had rejected the offer…but at this rate he would only become a dead load to Victor. He had to swallow his pride and ask Victor tonight.

* * *

Victor came back very early during his stay with Yuuri. The man easily told Yuuri that the rink was buzzing with news about Victor having a secret lover or that he was practicing his next song to win the sixth Grand Prix. Both came as a surprise to Yuuri. He knew Victor had no secret lover because he'd been in the mansion every time he wasn't in the rink. Except during shopping days. As for the last one, how'd Victor find any time to practice when he'd been with Yuuri every day? If he practiced, Victor would do it at the rink, not home. And the gossipers would know. Victor jokingly told the raven that the first was true, and Yuuri was his so-called secret lover. Yuuri choked at a big chunk of Katsu.

Yuuri gratefully took a cup of warm ocha and drank it down greedily. When he could breathe again, Yuuri asked, "Jokes aside, are you competing again this year?"

Victor looked up from the steaming bowl of Katsudon Yuuri made for them both. The Japanese dish had quickly become Victor's favorite food.

"I’m not joking, I’ll be your lover if only you accept me,” he declared with a pout and quickly continued before Yuuri choked on his food again, “But, I don't know yet about the competition. Why?"

Yuuri put down his chopsticks. If he thought about it carefully, it was his fault in the first place. Victor felt responsible for him. Yuuri had decided to quit skating, but Victor had nothing to do with it. If Victor was not thinking about the choreograph for the next competition, it would only contribute to Yuuri's debt. That didn't sit well with Yuuri.

"Are you quitting because of me?"

“What?”

Victor was taken aback. Yuuri wasn't the most open people he'd known, but the question was frontal. It wasn't so hard to guess what he was thinking about, seeing worry lines marring that cute face.

"Nah. My motto is to do the unexpected. See, that what makes me unique. That's what people wanted to see from me. But…after winning the last Grand Prix, I had a feeling, people already expect the unexpected. To tell you the truth, it's boring."

It was a selfish reason, both men knew it. Yuuri, however, knew very well it was the reason Victor was able to stay on top. His strong mentality to do such things let him persist. Unlike Yuuri. Unable to interpret the song was half of the reason for his failure. Another half was because anxiety always attacked him during the critical part. Even now, he often wondered how in world did he managed to become one of the top skater in Japan, even managed to enter the final Grand Prix.

Maybe…maybe he could learn something here. Against his fear for failing again, Yuuri made up his mind. This would be killing two birds with one stone.

"Victor," the raven stood, determinedly facing his benefactor. "Can you find me a job at the rink?"

Yuuri bowed low, fervently hoping Victor might catch up to his desperation. He could never guess Victor's line of thought, but the latter always able to guess his. And Yuuri was counting on that. If he could find the missing puzzle, then…at least he wouldn't die with regrets even if he had to spend the rest of his time in this strange place.

He heard a chuckle from the man across from his seat. Then and large hand fell to ruffle his hair. "Do you want to see me skate that much?"

"What?" Yuuri jumped back, surprised and fighting back the blush. Okay, he admitted, he was curious to see how Victor skated. If he won so many times already, that meant he was really good at it. "It's true that I'm curious…but more than that, I need to earn money too."

At his last sentence, Victor's grin faltered. "I told you. You don't have to pay me back. I'm happy to have you here."

And he had been saying the same thing for two weeks before Yuuri finally able to make him drop the topic. Maybe it would be wise to just convinced him about Yuuri being interested to see Victor skate.

"I know," Yuuri sat back and fidgeted on his seat. "I'm bored if I'm doing nothing. So, I can watch you skate, and I can spend more time with you."

"So you’re very interested to see me skates. And we can announce to the world that you’re my secret lover?"

"Of course!" Yuuri pouted. "I'm genuinely curious to see the world champion skates. And I love spending time with you! I liked being with you! I don’t care what people think as long as you don’t mind. And…eh? Ah…"

Victor’s answer had just hit him. The raven blushed harder. The last part was unnecessary, damn Victor! And damn his mouth for running away! Yuuri pushed further back into his chair, hoping a hole would appear and swallow him into nothingness. This was as close as a love confession he'd ever said. Worse, he had said it to a man he knew for less than two months.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't…I mean…"

Victor pushed his chair back. Standing up, he walked around the table and stopped beside Yuuri. The latter tried to make himself as small and as invisible as possible, but to no avail. Victor was watching him like a hawk. He could feel the blond's stare boring into him.

Without warning, Victor pulled him up by his arm and captured him in a crushing hug. Yuuri didn't know if he could get anymore redder than before, but he certainly felt his cheek was hotter.

Victor smelled like coffee and musk and Katsudon. Like sunshine. Like ice. Like Makkachin. The dog was absolutely adorable. Yuuri loved the dog rotten ever since Victor introduced them, but Victor's embrace felt too perfect. Yuuri leaned in, surrendering his body to his benefactor. Victor was so warm. Yuuri closed his eyes, basking in the feeling.

Suddenly Victor's crushing grip loosen for a bit. Yuuri felt his breath coming down at his left ear.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Yuuri? Because you're doing a very good job at it." Victor's voice was husky and heavy. What was that about Yuuri trying to seduce him? It was the contrary! And having Victor's lips trailing kisses along Yuuri's ear caused Yuuri's brain to melt.

"I-I-I'm not…Victor…Unhh…" Yuuri moaned as Victor slowly turned the fluttering kisses into hot nibbling. "Vic…no…" Yuuri felt his body trembling and losing strength rapidly.

"Yuuri," Victor finally stopped nibbling his left ear but his embrace tightened. "I love having you here with me. I want to know more about you. I want to know everything about you, Yuuri."

Ah…why was it…every time Victor said his name, Yuuri's soul quivered in warmth and pain. Tears unexpectedly fell. He didn't think he'd have someone to say that so lovingly to him. His chest was so full, it almost burst. Being here, living with Victor seemed to complete Yuuri's life. Victor slipped so easily into his world, as if he held half of Yuuri's missing soul.

His sobs grew. Victor fell in deep silence, still refusing to let go. His palm drew a circle on Yuuri's clothed back. Both relished in the contact but their mind gears were turning. Was this a right thing to do? Would this affect their relationship? Nothing was certain, yet the desire was too strong to fight.

They stayed several minutes too long, Makkachin’s hungry bark outside broke the spell. Nevertheless, the gears had started to move. None knew what would happen in the future, but Victor was sure he wanted Yuuri. And Yuuri was sure Victor had already become a significant part of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is it? Did you enjoy it? XD  
> Please tell me what you think about this chapter m'kay~


	3. Pretenders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri started working at the rink. And a big surprise at the end =P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T_T Thank you very much, people! I love comments! I love hearing your thoughts! So, thank you so much for spending some of your time to send me your thoughts! I LOVE IT! COMPLETELY!
> 
> As usual, this chapter is not betaed =P

It was Monday. The sky was hidden away by thick cloud. Yuuri stood behind Victor, glancing around the rink where he was found. It looked completely the same as the one in his memory, it was hardly believable this rink wasn't the same one.

Blue painted wall was built surrounding the layered ice. The blue-colored bench arranged in lines. The sound of blades against the ice. The cold against his nose. The smell of ice. Undeniably, Yuuri missed being in here so much.

Sensing the energy from his companion, Victor chuckled in secret. Yuuri worked so hard to convince him that he wanted to work at the rink because Victor was there. He wanted to see Victor skated. Yuuri's face was burning so crimson that Victor couldn't refuse him. Sure, Victor felt what Yuuri said was the truth, but maybe only half of it. Seeing how his eyes sparkled when looking at the ice rink though, Victor was convinced of his first guess. Yuuri was familiar with figure skating.

At that time, two months ago when Victor rescued the raven, Victor had pretty much guessed. It was so obvious, really. Yuuri was unconscious in the rink. He wore the shoes. What else would one deduce but Yuuri being a figure skater. The only question was: whether Yuuri was a professional or simply doing it for fun. Yuuri's real identity was one mystery Victor was determined to find out. Still…

Yuuri walled himself from Victor. The world champion wasn't sure why Yuuri acted that way around him. At one moment he was an open book. The other time, he was a wall of ice. Thinking back to those moments, Victor noticed how Yuuri tended to put a distance when Victor touched the topic of figure skating. Especially the grand prix. Of course, there were moments where the raven himself would initiate it, but it was very rare.

Seeing as Yuuri acted so extreme at the mention of the sport, there was a high chance Yuuri had competed, most probably at national level. Otherwise, Victor would've heard about him. Why had Victor came to that? If Yuuri was simply doing it for fun, he wouldn't have this kind of reaction. It was precisely because figure skating was something he loved, or used to love, that he gave such reactions.

"Yuuri," Victor waved to the boy who lagged behind, eyes still starry from excitement. "Come here. I'll introduce you to the owner."

The raven jogged to where Victor stood by the counter. Behind it was a brunette woman, dark brown curly hair tidily tied to a single ponytail. Her eyes were so green, a sharp difference from Victor's. Her skin was slightly tan, unusual color since she worked at an ice skating rink where sunlight barely penetrated the dome-shaped building.

Yuuri nodded her a greeting.

The woman grinned and offered her hand. "I'm Lucia. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, likewise. My name's Yuuri."

Lucia arched her eyebrows in surprise. "Yuuri? Haha. There will be a fun scene to watch later then."

"Huh?"

"Never mind that, Yuuri." Victor gently turned Yuuri to face him. "Help me with the warm ups?"

Uh-oh. Yuuri pulled his hand, attempting to run away. When Victor used his charm, it was easy to Yuuri to fall for the spell. Bad things.

One of Victor's hand moved to cage Yuuri from escaping. There would be no way to escape, Yuuri thought desperately. Then, someone suddenly put a hand on Yuuri's mouth.

"Victor, you brought Yuuri here to work for me. So off you go. He's starting now."

Yuuri blinked. The hand was still covering his mouth, so Yuuri couldn't voice his confusion. Victor, however, looked disappointed and stepped back. It felt somewhat strange to see Victor walked off defeated like that. Not to mention he never really gave Yuuri a calm moment. Lucia must be a scary person, Yuuri thought with a nervous swallow.

"He seems so attached with you. That's unusual." Lucia commented. Seeing her hand was still covering Yuuri's mouth, she retracted it with a murmured apology.

"Don't worry about it. You saved me just now." Yuuri dismissed the apology easily. "It's getting harder to escape from Victor lately."

"Oh? He did that often?"

Yuuri quirked an eyebrow. "Did what?"

Lucia motioned with his thumb the general direction of Victor. "You know, what he did just now. Flirting, seduction, whatever you want to name it?"

A laughter bubbled up from Yuuri. Not mocking, but more of a nervous laugh. "Yeah. He did that at any chance. I always use the wrong word with him and he'll tease me for it. Like that." Yuuri scratched his head.

"Hmm…well," Lucia walked around the counter and gestured for the man to follow her into the back room. "Here's the cleaning tools. Can you help me with cleaning? You can start from the windows. The rest of my workers will come around 10, so please do as much as you can then you can switch with them."

Yuuri nodded and stopped right at the door. Inside the unexpectedly large room was various tools with various different sizes. Yuuri grabbed the spray from the rack and a small wiper. It would be hard to reach the high ones, but Yuuri could start from the ones he could reach. Lucia didn't tell him where he must start anyway.

Yuuri left, taking a small bucket with clean water, a dry cloth, the wiper and the cleaning spray. He never had part time job before, so the situation was a bit exciting to him. He blamed that for the excitement for having a first job that he missed Lucia's murmured words to herself.

"Victor had never done that to anyone but you though, Yuuri…" she mumbled with a grin.

* * *

It had been weird lately. That ice-skating freak went home pretty much every day for more than a month. He usually went home late, speaking with Yakov about his next program. If not, they would discuss pretty much anything as long as it was related to figure-skating. But not during these past months. Victor finished his training pretty much on time. He didn't talk to Yakov afterwards and went right home, excited and happy.

Something was going on.

Yuri Plisetsky entered the rink with a loud stomping. He was irritated and when he was at a foul mood, no one but three people dare to talk to him. Not today. Someone other than the three actually initiated a talk.

"Um…sir, please stop stomping on your feet like that. The dirt fell off and I had just cleaned that part."

"HAH?!" Yuri growled at the cleaning guy. He saw an unfamiliar face. Of course. No worker in this rink who didn't know of Yuri Plisetsky's worse than a PMS woman's mood. They usually scamper out of his way the moment they saw his gold head coming through the door. So this guy must be new. "Fuck off, pig!"

Yuri walked away with a small sadistic smile. He had just scared the dumb newbie off and Yuri relished on the feeling. No one messed with Yuri Plisetsky. No one, except for Victor and Yakov. Another one was an extra he never allowed but the person was too thick to get the idea. Yuri was too lazy to deal with the hag anyway so he let her tease him once in a while.

Talking about Victor…the guy was here, skating like he had all the time in the world. Did he forget about his promise to Yuri? That damn old man…

"VICTOR!!"

Yuri heard a surprised yelp behind him and clattering sound of fallen bucket but Yuri didn’t look back to check. Instead, he marched on toward the world champion with obvious annoyance painting his face.

"Hi, Yuri." The older male greeted with a goofy smile. "Don't shout like that, you'll scare my poor Yuuri off!"

Truth to be told, Yuri hated man like Victor very much; frivolous, always laughing like an idiot, but that wasn't the worst part. Despite his attitude, Victor managed to become the world's best figure skater for five years in a row. Many said Yuri was a genius, but Victor was at a completely different level of prodigious. And this Victor whom he wanted to overthrow so much had taken the attitude to a higher level. Much to Yuri's annoyance.

Turning back to the earlier clattering sound, Yuri found the same black-haired newbie bowing fervently, trying to apologize to a woman. He accidently knocked off the bucket and the floor was wet now. Yuri's shouting might have surprised the raven, but the hell with that. Who the fuck is that man? And what was his relationship with Victor?

Yuri shifted back his attention to Victor who had this…stupid smile pasted all over his face. Yuri had never seen Victor making such a face, but it wasn't hard to guess. His eyes were all stars and hearts. Yuck! And What the fuck with the name?!

"OI!" Yuri grabbed Victor by the collar of his shirt. "Yuuri? The fuck?"

Victor's laugh was all merry and happy, it made Yuri want to puke. "Yes. Cute isn't he? His name is Yuuri." Victor explained, single-handedly prying Yuri's hand off from his shirt. "Hm…but since you're Yuri as well, it might get confusing."

Who the hell cares about that retard's name. A pig should remain as that! Victor had a different thought, much to Yuri's dismay. "Ah, I'll call you Yurio from now on! Yep!" Victor clapped once, acted as if that was the most obvious course of action.

And thus, for some reason, starting from then, people started to call him Yurio. The blond junior champion retaliated, of course. With Victor insistently using it, though, and people began to know the raven, the name just stuck. Fixing it was a waste of effort anyway, so Yuri directed all the anger toward the cause.

Yuri - now Yurio - hated Victor's gut, but he liked Victor's talent. With Yuuri, it was a new level of hatred. The raven irked him to no end. Yurio hated timid people, and that raven was the epitome of shy and timid. Still that wasn't enough to hate him to this level. Something else bothered the blond. The way his black eyes were always following Yurio's movement on the ice, it was like Yuuri was analyzing him. Like he understood what Yurio was doing; what he was lacking. That unnerved the junior world champion.

Some other time, he would catch Yuuri staring at Victor. It was a different kind of gaze. When Victor looked at Yuuri, it was kind and hesitant. Why, Yurio wouldn't bother to find out. Victor's head was a chaotic mixture of unknown substance. No one really knew what he was thinking about, that pervert.

Yuuri though, looked at Victor like he was an angel walking on Earth. The kind of admiration like Victor was the God's most perfect invention. Not that Yurio didn't understand the infatuation. Anyone, even someone not familiar with figure skating, would easily fall for Victor's charm. Especially so, if they were familiar with the sport. Victor dancing on the ice was the very picture of sensual and perfection.

He looked at Victor like he knew how good Victor was. Yurio had never heard of a figure skating sharing the same name as him. Not that Yurio ever cared about anyone but Victor, but even as a passing name, he would've heard it. But no. Nothing at all. The raven was a blank.

Yurio hated mysteries. He hated it when Victor's attention was not on him. Yurio hated it when he felt fear. And despite his timid attitude, Yuuri instilled fear into him. Yurio didn't understand yet why he felt such a thing from the raven, but he would…eventually. For now, he would be the one to instill fear into the raven.

* * *

Yuuri was annoyed. Terribly. He itched to snap. Not to mention, a different kind of itch was invading him at the moment. All because of Yuri Plisetski aka Yurio.

From the very first time they met, Yuuri had always become the target of his yelling. The reason? Yurio apparently never thought about it that far. He disliked Yuuri, thus, he had every reasons to snap. It wasn't fair! Yuuri couldn't do that to him because of their position. Yuuri was a staff. Yurio was the customer. There was an unwritten rule about never ever go against the customers.

The bottled up frustration was so hard to ignore, even a week after the constant torture. Having Victor helped him only worsen the situation too. Yuuri heaved a long sigh. Maybe it was Victor's fault after all. Yurio seemed to look up to Victor so much. And having the older male showering Yuuri with affection didn't mix well with Yurio.

Yuuri sat down on one of the blue-colored bench with a tired sigh. At the center of the rink was Victor and Yurio, talking about the short blond's new program. During their first meeting, Yuuri enviably learned that Victor had promised the boy to choreograph for Yurio's first debut into the senior program. Victor forgot about it but his forgetfulness was dismissed easily. He had one ready for Yurio. And the song…well, it reminded Yuuri of his pain.

On Love: Agape.

Yuuri was, undoubtedly, shocked to find this song here. It was another version of Yuuri's 'On Love: Eros'. Most likely, Eros might exist as well, if Agape was here. It stirred a mixed reaction in him. Yuuri wanted to hate that song, but at the same time, he wanted to perform it once again. He wanted to reach perfection with Eros.

While Yuuri's was meant to be a sensual song, Agape was all about pure love. One week into the training, Yuuri had seen both Victor and Yurio performed the same song again and again. He had, unwillingly, remembered the choreograph. But it didn't mean anything here. It shouldn't mean anything to Yuuri.

Still, seeing Yurio danced on the ice sparked his interest. Yuuri was often left to ponder, how would it feel if he was the one performing Agape? How would Yurio fare if he was the one dancing Eros? Frankly, Eros wasn't Yuuri at all. Agape was.

"Yurio, let's wrap it up for today!" Victor ordered with a clap of his hands. That snapped Yuuri out of his thought.

Yuuri brought up the Pocari he bought earlier in the vending machine and approached Victor. The platinum blond grinned, seeing the raven.

"Yuuri! You've been watching?"

"Yeah. That was great."

Victor smiled, happy to see the sparkle's back in Yuuri's eyes. "You're done with job?"

Nodding once, Yuuri pointed at the bucket and mop he had put aside under the LCD TV. "I only have to put those back into the tool rooms, then I'm done."

The TV must be turned off too, Yuuri noted slowly, eyes returning back to Victor. Remembering the drink, he passed one to his housemate. Yurio was lagging behind, watching him like he was the biggest cockroach in the world's history. Maybe he was just that to Yurio, Yuuri thought with a sweat drop.

The Japanese had come to accept Yurio's harsh words, with many of the people here telling him that was just how Yurio was. Though many also said that he was especially rude toward Yuuri because the raven had Victor's time more than him. Jealousy? It was quite possible, seeing how Yurio's eyes flared every time he saw them talking.

"Yurio, here's yours," Yuuri offered the last bottle of the Pocari he bought.

Yurio glared at his share a second long. Was he thinking if Yuuri put a poison in it? Talk about overly paranoid. Or maybe he was just wondering what Yuuri was hoping to achieve by offering that? It would be a total lie if Yuuri said he did it without nothing in mind. He hoped for a reconciliation. It was getting unbearable, having Yurio treating him like that.

Yuuri smiled slightly when Yurio snatched his share of Pocari from Yuuri. At least the boy accepted the peace offering. It was a good first step.

"So, Yuuri. You've seen the song I choreographed. What do you think?"

"Eh? Ah…it was great."

Victor pouted, unexpected reaction. "That's all? You've been saying you wanted to see me skates, and that's all your reaction?"

"Erm…well," Yuuri nervously twirling the excess string coming out of his right sleeve. His shoes had never been so interesting before. "You're doing seriously amazing. But you're the world champion, Victor. That much is expected, I guess…"

That wasn't a lie. Victor exceeded his expectation. When Yuuri saw him skated, Yuuri was hit with memories. Edgar-san's words replayed over and over again in his head. A performance like Victor was what people expected. A perfection of skill and interpretation. More than that though, it was full of feeling so powerful, it made Yuuri trembled.

Yurio, on the other hand, was lacking the said feeling. Maybe because it was Agape? Yurio didn't strike him as a person who'd think highly of a pure love. Or maybe it simply because he didn't understand the concept of unconditional love? Guess Yuuri should borrow Eigar-san's words for once. It used to hurt him, but seeing Yurio, he somewhat understood what Eigar-san meant when he asked that question. Yurio reminded Yuuri of himself.

"Putting aside Victor's performance for now," Yuuri sent Victor an apologetic smile, seeing Victor's pout. "Yurio, did you think of anyone during the performance?"

Yurio had downed half of the Pocari. When he heard the question, he froze. Yuuri thought the usual bad mood Yurio had the most evil glare and even then Yuuri was able to ignore it. This glare, though, it actually oozed bloodlust. Yurio might be a good candidate as an assassin. If only the glare could kill…

"Please, I'm just asking. I might be able to give you answer, you know."

The glare softened, but mistrust was still there. "Che. I don't. Why should I? As long as I nailed the jumps and steps, it'll be enough."

That sounded like Yurio was trying to convince himself it was okay. Seeing from his frown, the blond knew very well that it wasn't good enough.

"Agape was, from what I understood, about pure and unconditional love. What I see you've displayed, on the other hand, was a forced feeling. You're trying to seduce the audience to love you. It might have been better if it was Eros you're performing, with that kind of thoughts."

There was a long, stunned silence that Yuuri didn't notice. Victor was thoughtful as he stared at the man he saved. Even Yurio was eerily silent.

Unperturbed, Yuuri continued, "Love isn't all about romance, you know. There's familial love as well. To be honest, when the topic is pure love, it'll be hard to achieve a good image with romance. So, there's a better shot at the familial love."

Not that it would affect Yuuri. For so long he had given his heart to Yuuko, knowing she liked Nishigoro Takeshi. If it wasn't unconditional love, Yuuri didn't know what else was. So, performing Agape wouldn't be hard for him. Eros, on the other hand…was a big problem. Yuuri had no experienced with sensual love.

_Sensual love…?_

"Ah, now that explains it."

"Explain what?" Victor finally came back, but he still had a calculating look fixed on Yuuri.

Still not realizing the stare, Yuuri looked back toward the rink. He imagined himself dancing on the ice, gliding like a swan, jumping like he had spring on his feet. He saw himself doing Eros but with someone else in his mind.

"When I saw you doing Agape, it was amazing and all, but the feel wasn't quite right. Victor's more suitable to Eros."

"But I'm perfectly capable of doing Agape too! I'm the one who choreographed it, you know!" The world champion whined.

Chuckling, Yuuri patted the man's arm. "Yes, of course you're perfectly fine. I'm just saying, Eros pushes out your charm so effectively. So it would work very well with you. I can already imagine women swooning all over you after that."

"Hmmm. You're not jealous with that?" Victor traced a finger to Yuuri's chin, tilting his face up. Another hand locked to Yuuri's right hand. "…or maybe you'll fall for my charm too?"

Victor leaned closer and Yuuri's mind went into an overdrive.

"Uuuummm….Victor…you're too close!"

_Had to get away!_

Yuuri stepped back, the usual tactic he deployed, but Victor had predicted the move. He put himself in the such a way that Yuuri's back was on the wall of the rink. He had nowhere to run.

_Need to…make an excuse!_

Yuuri's brain was fried. Figuratively. Victor's face was an inch apart from his and Yuuri could smell his cologne this close. He had to make an excuse. Anything to get him out of this. This was bad! His eyes spun but at that moment, he saw a flash of gold and irritated blue-green eyes. Blond. Right! Yurio!

"Victor, you should talk to Yurio about his program. I'm…uh…I'll clean up fast so we can go home!"

Yuuri pried his hand off Victor's grip. Resolutely, he pushed Victor away. His feet carried him faster than he could glide on the ice. His face was crimson and hot. Collecting the tools had never been so hard. It was stupid of him to let go of his defense. Or maybe Victor was becoming too good at manipulating his words?

With trembling hands, Yuuri finally managed to have a steady grip on the empty bucket and mop. He was about to walk back to the tools room, when a familiar language caught his attention. The LED TV was still on. It was set to a Japanese news channel.

Yuuri paused in his step. Turning, his eyes caught on the tagline written in his native language. There were people wailing on the background while the announcer read out the news. Yuuri's head went blank. The rest of the news went unheard. He didn't hear the loud clattering sound of the bucket and mop he dropped. He didn't hear the cries of familiar people in the TV. He didn't hear approaching footsteps from behind. He didn't hear Victor's concern voice asking him what happened.

Nothing went through his ears, but he saw one thing. The tagline of the news was announcing a bus departing from Detroit Airport was in accident. There was a long list of the dead and injured ones. And at the bottom, there was one written with a different color. An ugly blue font. Yuuri read it over and over again, not believing his eyes. It still displayed the same line.

_Still missing: Katsuki Yuuri._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XD I LOVE cliffhanger! Do tell me what you think about this chapter, m'kay~  
> Hopefully it's good enough LOL. Also, when I posted this story, I have already done 2 chapters. When I upload both, I have already done 3/4 of chapter 3. Thus the fast update speed. Chapter 4, though, might come out a bit late because I have only done the beginning. I may need more days to finish it. So sorry! ;A;


	4. Fake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of a shocking revelation. And...another surprise? XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm taking so long to finish this one. I rewrote twice because I wasn't satisfied LOL. Also, I was busy with dance practice. Still am, in fact. So, I insisted on posting it today because it's Yuuri's birthday, and I just want to celebrate it with people all over the world!
> 
> Also, I'm truly sorry for any grammatical errors. It's not proofed >_

There rarely anything that could surprise Victor. Being the one having to devise surprises, the world was boring. Figure skating was one thing he ever liked. Not because he was good at it. Mostly because he could surprise people well with it. That, until he easily attained his fifth gold medal. Figure skating became boring then.

He would have given up. That day, he was making up his mind. That day, he was about to have the last dance. That day, he had determined to quit. He didn't. He couldn't.

That day, he found Katsuki Yuuri. That day, his world changed. That day, he found a new inspiration. Katsuki Yuuri was his one amazingly sweet man. He was kind, very shy and timid, but importantly, he held mystery greater than one Victor could ever imagine. Yuuri inspired him like nothing before.

When Yuuri started explaining Agape to Yurio, Victor was stunned. Yuuri was displaying understanding better than he expected. 'Better' as in 'totally unexpected'. And 'much' as in 'definitely suspicious'.

He analyzed Yurio in an accuracy unlikely seen in amateur. He even analyzed Victor for a good measure. The said raven wasn't aware of how suspicious that was, and Victor wouldn't buy any story about Yuuri being a novice in figure skating. He was most definitely not. The furthest guess he could make was that Yuuri was an ice skating 'otaku'. His wasn't convinced on the last one though. And Victor trusted his instinct.

"Yes, of course you're perfectly fine. I'm just saying, Eros pushes out your charm so effectively. So it would work very well with you. I can already imagine women swooning all over you after that."

Yuuri said to him when Victor refuted the statement about him unsuitable to perform Agape. The raven even added a playful pat to Victor's arm. That pat, a single harmless pat was all it was. THAT was bad. Not 'bad' as in it left bad taste. On the contrary, it sparked something in Victor. A feeling he was familiar with but becoming foreign when it involved a certain raven. An urge to seduce. A wish to possess. A desire to take.

Seducing Yuuri had started with Victor thinking it was a fun joke. It relieved him from the boredom. Lately, Victor began to see just how bad this had turned out for him. He had expected Yuuri to fall head over heel for him, just like any other women and men. Not Yuuri. It was Victor.

Yuuri was _more than_ awesome. He was very sweet. Too sweet for Victor's usual preference, but if it was Yuuri, Victor didn't mind.

"Hmmm. You're not jealous with that?" Victor traced a finger to Yuuri's chin, tilting his face up. Another hand locked to Yuuri's right hand. "…or maybe you'll fall for my charm too?"

See? That was what Victor meant by bad. Yuuri would never consciously attempted to seduce Victor in anyway, but everything Yuuri said twisted Victor's rationale. When Victor acted this way, Yuuri was usually level-headed enough to escape. Victor didn't want to think what would happen if he didn't.

Victor wouldn't deny the truth. He liked Yuuri very much, and that _like_ was romantically enough for Victor to switch into a personality that wasn't him. Well, not totally different. Victor flirted, yes. But he was never serious enough to attempt that at every possible meeting.

A smirk blossomed when he saw beautiful blush fanning Yuuri's ivory cheek. That was always a scene he loved to see. Yuuri was so beautiful with different shades of red. When he stumbled at one of the bench's legs, Victor chuckled in amusement. Yuuri's reaction had never gotten old.

"So, what do you think, Yurio?" Victor prompted when Yuuri was halfway toward the cleaning tools he left earlier. "I _do_ think that Yuuri's assessment is spot on, but I want to hear your opinion as well."

Yurio casted a look at the raven who wore Victor's old black t-shirt and training pants. It was only now that the blond junior champion noticed the black gloves Yuuri always wore when working. If Yurio noticed this earlier, he would only think that Yuuri had a bad sense of fashion, but after what he had just imparted, the gloves' significance changed.

"Do you think…he wore that gloves to protect his hands?" Yurio asked back.

"I don't know," Victor admitted. "After that, I'm more than half convinced. As did you."

Yurio stared at Yuuri's retreating form. He didn't look like he was at the top shape, but clearly, Yuuri tried to - at least - not to gain weight. And beyond the overly large t-shirt, his body was sculpted. A shape only attainable with hard work and discipline.

Heaving a long suffering sigh, Yurio said, "I can't believe for one moment that we haven't heard of him until now, if he was a figure skater. What he said, though I hate to admit it so much, was a very…outstanding observation."

"Yours, or mine?" Victor teased with a ruffle to the blond Russian's hair.

Yurio growled and slapped Victor's hand away. "Both!"

"Mm-hm. So, you can perform it better now, yes?"

"I can and I will even without his opinion!" Yurio huffed in annoyance. "In the first place, that pig is very suspicious! How could you even-"

A loud clanking surprised them both came from where Yuuri was. The two's head snapped reflexively toward the source. There standing like a statue, was Katsuki Yuuri. The bucket and the mop were on the floor, abandoned.

Victor squinted his eyes, trying to make out Yuuri's expression. His head was tilted up, intently listening - reading? - the news. The black-haired announcer had a bob cut hair, talking so fast in a language unknown to Victor. Chinese? Japanese?

Anxiety hit him like a ton of bricks. Yuuri was Asian. At least his physical features told Victor that much. He had never considered the possibility that Yuuri might have someone back in his hometown. Did someone he knew was mentioned there in the news?

With fear following his every footstep, Victor reached the raven. This close, Victor and Yurio could see Yuuri's face so clearly. And the first thought that crossed their minds were: 'Get Yuuri out of here'.

Victor reacted, yanking Yuuri back with force a bit too much. A pained whine escaped from those trembling pink lips. Yuuri tore his eyes away from the screen, pale and scared. The pain was a welcome distraction.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri. I used too much force. Are you okay?"

Yuuri nodded in a daze. His eyes were casted everywhere but the screen and Victor. He looked…disoriented.

"Yuuri, let's go home. Yurio, can I ask you to help with those?" Victor pointed the fallen bucket and mop with his chin. He had expected Yurio complaining, but even Yurio felt the urgency of the situation. Yuuri was usually bubbly and happy. This Yuuri was bizarre and Yurio didn't like to see a Yuuri he couldn't predict.

Wordlessly, he picked up the tools and walked back to the room behind the counter. He deposited them with a loud clank, to which Victor only smiled. His hand wrapped protectively to Yuuri's waist.

"Yurio, let's go. I'll drive you home."

Yuri closed the door with more force than usual. The thin wall around the tool room rattled.

"Take him home. I can go back alone." The blond champion huffed and stomped away but lacking the usual anger.

Victor gave him a thin smile and tighten his grip on Yuuri. The two walked back to where Victor parked his car.

* * *

Their journey back was as dead as a walk on a graveyard. Yuuri was lost in his own world. His eyes seeing nothing. Victor kept glancing back and forth from keeping them both safe until they reached home, and to Yuuri who was figuratively deaf to the world.

Victor wanted so much to stop the car and forced the truth out of Yuuri. Victor wasn't used to this kind of situation. He wasn't good at dealing with tears and emotional detachment. Yuuri did one of the two, but the impact to Victor's mental was bigger than when both happened to his ex-girlfriends. That much was Yuuri's growing importance in Victor's heart.

Hitting harder on the gas pedal, Victor forced his baby to run so hard for the second time. The first was when he found Yuuri weakening physically. This second time, Yuuri was fine, but not mentally. Really, it would only be Yuuri who could make Victor panicked like this. Not even the Grand Prix final managed to put a dent on his thick mental wall, but Yuuri did, and so effortlessly.

The driveway to his mansion drew closer. Finally! Victor exhaled a long breath and then parked with practiced ease. It was the first time he wanted to reach home so fast. Not that he hated his home, but, living alone was extremely…lonely. Victor liked companies, but with his fame far from unknown, it was hard to find someone who looked at him without thinking of a "Grand Prix Champion" Victor. When at last he had found that person, _this_ had to happen.

Turning off the machine, Victor got out of the car impatiently. The light hadn't been turned on. If this was their usual coming back, Victor would've turned it on first and Yuuri would follow him into the house. When Victor walked around the front of his car, Yuuri was still sitting with his seatbelt on.

This Yuuri was a bad news. Victor didn't know how to console people, being the one always an object of favor. He never had a moment of emotional closeness to others. Not even his exes. That was why, seeing Yuuri like this hurt him more than anything. And to not know what to do shamed him to no end.

Victor pulled the door open and offered his hand. Yuuri looked at the offered hand then to Victor's tilted head. There was a moment of confusion in Yuuri's eyes, before he finally understood what he was supposed to do.

Yuuri took the hand and attempted to get out, only to be obstructed by the seatbelt. The normal Yuuri wouldn't cursed, but he would at least have clicked his tongue. _This_ Yuuri didn't. He looked that the seatbelt locks strange, as if it was an item he didn't recognize.

Victor quickly lowered his head and unlocked the belt for him. "Come on, Yuuri. Let's get you home." He smiled assuringly.

Again, Yuuri gave him a look Victor didn't know how to interpret.

* * *

Time didn't heal the wound. Not in Yuuri's case. More than two months past and the pain was still fresh and throbbing. Yuuri didn't know what he should do to bury the hole yet. And then, there was that news.

It was a very unexpected piece of information. Seeing his name mentioned there, he had a very mixed feeling. Should he be happy? Or fear? Yuuri was sure he _didn't_ belong here. There were too many what ifs and no one could give him one certain answer.

Yuuri rolled over on his bed, glaring at the hands of the clock. Unless it was failing now, the clock's shorter hand stopped at number 3 while the other hand almost arrived at 12.

The raven heaved a long sigh. He had been thinking about this for days and yet he still didn't know what he should do.

At first, he thought, he would just stay low in this place. Live a quiet life and just that. He never expected things would move so fast, and now he wanted more than anything to learn the truth.

He needed to go back to Hasetsu. As for how, he had an idea, but…

The idea of involving Victor in this wasn't all too appealing to the raven. However, telling Victor about what happened - or what he thought was happening - was too absurd even for the craziest of man. He didn't want Victor to think that he had picked up a lunatic. Yuuri didn't want Victor to think bad about him.

Brown eyes shone with lights reflected by the moonlight outside the windows, shifting the color to a darker shade. The clock ticked. Yuuri's blinked once. Twice. Thrice. The clock's rhythm lulled him to sleep. Before he realized, he was started awake by wetness lapping on his face.

"Mm…? Makkachin! You scared the hell out of me!"

Yuuri jumped to a sit, drowsily patting around the table to look for his glasses. It wasn't on the table. Where did he put it again?

"You're okay now?" Looking toward the door, there was Victor, walking to him in a honey-colored sweater and faded jeans. Yuuri tilted his head, questioning. "You were so out of it lately. But you looked much better today."

"Oh." Yuuri nodded nervously. "Yeah. That was a bit of a shock."

"What is?"

Yuuri searched the drawer below the table, and found his glasses kept there. When did he put it there? He usually placed his glasses nearest to his pillow, in case he needed it in emergency. Victor was right. He wasn't in the proper mind as of late.

"Yuuri?"

"Oh. Sorry, it's nothing."

He put on his glasses and ruffled the brown poodle affectionately, then walked off to the bathroom. He was aware of Victor's frown following his steps to the bathroom. He had brusquely brushed Victor's question off. He didn't want to deal with it yet. Maybe not ever if he could.

Yuuri made sure the door was locked properly. He didn't want to risk any chance of Victor walking in suddenly on him. Yuuri didn't think Victor would do something like that, but again, Victor was unexpected like that.

Turning the knob, Yuuri let cold water washed over his head, jolting his body truly awake. He was shivering, but it was a welcomed feeling. Cold water didn't actually help him to find his way out of his predicament, but being alone in the shower with only the sound of water hitting the marbles helped him to concentrate.

As he thought, he had to do this alone. The only problem was Victor. The Russian skater had noticed his strange behavior after seeing that news. It wouldn't be strange if he decided to look into it. He might actually have.

There was no more time to waste. He had to get away from Victor for now.

Yuuri turned the shower head the other way and grabbed the bottle of liquid soap, pouring a generous amount and lathered his body. Immediately, Victor's smell invaded his senses. The raven groaned instantly. He had gone through this twice a day and he still couldn't get used to it. He kept having this image of Victor standing so close to him, wrapping his hands around Yuuri's waist. So close that Yuuri could smell his shampoo and soap.

The raven quickly turned the shower head back, relieved when the coldness of the water cooled down his overheating body. He didn't want to walk out with _certain member_ of his body acting up.

Waited for a few more extended minutes, Yuuri made sure he was spotless and _normal_ before turning off the shower. He gleaned at his own reflection quickly, passing the mirror, but didn't stay long enough to comb his hair. He wanted to dress in haste, the cold finally catching up. His hair was still dripping when he came out of the bathroom, sneezing.

"Yuuri! I thought you were drowning or something! Why are you shivering? Why didn't you run the hot water?! You'll catch a cold! Wear a scarf! Yuuri, you're sneezing a lot! Are you okay? Are you running a fever? Why didn't you dry your hair? Yuuri!"

Yuuri sweat-dropped. He hadn't even step out of the bathroom floor yet.

Victor was acting like a mother hen ever since that night. Not that Yuuri didn't appreciate the concern, but Victor was getting very…insistent. He followed Yuuri everywhere, even at his job, much to Lucia's annoyance.

At this rate, Yuuri wouldn't be able to execute his plan. Guess it was time to ask for help.

* * *

"Yurio, can I talk to you for a second?" Yuuri whispered, dragging the Russian boy before he could reach the rink. Victor was still in his locker, wearing his skates.

Yurio glared at him with annoyance but nevertheless nodded.

"Be quick." Yurio crossed his arms.

Yuuri gratefully let go of his hand and shuffled his feet nervously. "I-uh…I need you to occupy Victor." One gold-colored eyebrow quirked up. "I need to go back to the hospital. Ah, no. I'm not sick." He added hastily, seeing Yurio frowned at the mention of the hospital.

"Why do you need to go back there if you're not sick?"

Yuuri turned back just in time to see Victor walked out from the locker room. "Just running some checkups. I'll be counting on you."

He heard Yurio clicked his tongue, but knowing the young skater's character, he would still do it, albeit half-heartedly.

Grabbing his cleaning tools, Yuuri haste away from Yurio.

* * *

Yurio really did his best to occupy Victor. He literally bombarded Victor with questions and eagerness to practice that Victor didn't even have time to glance back to Yuuri's careful escape.

The Japanese had told Lucia he needed to go back to the hospital for a quick checkup. Reasoning that he was supposed to do that last month, but Victor didn't take him there. And knowing the current Victor, if he said he wanted to go there, he would one-sidedly assume there was something wrong with Yuuri.

Lucia agreed to give him a short leave, although she was undoubtedly suspicious Yuuri wasn't about to go to the hospital.

She was right. Yuuri didn't plan to go there.

Two months were long enough a time for Yuuri to memorize important places. He knew where to turn to reach the supermarket. He knew if he walked up the slope, he could find the park. He also knew that if he walked past the hospital, he would arrive at the police station.

He stared at the building with something akin to fear. Nervousness, to be exact. He wasn't so sure this would go well at all. If he failed, he might be deported for illegally entering the country, or thrown into the jail for the lack of identity. Well, he didn't know what could happen at this point. He didn't even know if the real Yuuri was still exist here.

Yuuri was _very_ nervous. But he had to do this, or he would never solve the mystery.

Bracing himself, Yuuri drew a deep breath and walked in. The door was already open. He had never walked into the police station in America. The atmosphere was, undoubtedly more intimidating than the one in Japan.

One burly man with thick blond mustache looked up from his papers, grinning. Yuuri blinked. Okay, maybe not that intimidating.

"Um…I want to make a report."

The burly policeman waved him to sit, to which Yuuri took gratefully. He took out stack of papers with questions and lines filling up the spaces. Report forms?

"Ah, well…my name's Katsuki Yuuri. I think I might be the survivor of the bus accident mentioned in the news?"

"Okay…Katsuki…Yuuri…survivor…huh?" The policeman froze, eyes bulging. "KATSUKI YUURI?! That missing Japanese?!"

Shocked by the sudden shouts, Yuuri inched back as far as his chair allowed. "Uh…I think? I'm not sure. I need help to make sure. That's why I'm reporting this. I can't remember what was happening. To be precise, I barely have any memories, except for the new ones. I still remember names and some people though."

The police nodded quickly, dialing numbers from the office phone and spoke in rushed tone. Yuuri English was far from bad, but when he spoke in a very agitated tone – and not to mention, fast – Yuuri lost the conversation within minutes.

He let the blond American officer talked while his eyes roamed around, pondering his next step. This was a very big gamble to him. If this turned out to be running down the worst path, then… no! He couldn't think like that.

His name wasn't common at all. The news displayed his name in the very precise kanji. And there were his family and friends too in that same news. The probability that the _Yuuri_ mentioned in the news referred to him was very high. Or not him in the straightest sense, but no one but Yuuri knew about it.

"My colleague will fax me some basic information. I'll have to confirm some, so—" Right at that moment, the fax machine began to work. Blank papers were eaten into it and slowly came out with black tainting the once clean surface.

Yuuri waited impatiently. He just wanted this to finish quickly so he could go back. There would be no guessing when Victor would start to panic, noticing he disappeared from the ice-rink.

At last, the policeman sat back, a bunch of papers in hands. He took the first paper. It probably had Yuuri's photograph printed on it, because he looked back and forth between Yuuri's face and the paper, as if he was comparing features.

Nodding to himself, the police put down the paper, backside facing up. He took the second paper, then gave Yuuri a small piece of blank paper and a pen.

"Can you write down your name?"

Ah, so he wanted to compare name now. Yuuri obligingly jot down his name. He tried to make it as similar to a printed kanji, because most who weren't familiar with the character system could hardly read handwriting version.

The bearded man took the paper and compared the notes. Again, he nodded.

"Do you remember your parents' names?"

"Katsuki Toshiya and Hiroko. My sister's name is Mari."

Yuuri looked down to the burly man's chest, noting the officer's name is Wilson. The very same officer jotted down notes in curly words. Hardly readable, Yuuri noted.

"Remember where is your last study?"

Was this part the same? Yuuri didn't know. Maybe it was a safer bet to pretend not to know. After all, seeing how different some things were, Yuuri didn't dare to make guesses. His families were a safe bet because he had seen them on TV.

"I'm sorry, officer. I don't remember anything else."

The policeman looked sympathetic, but jotted down that part as well. "Can you tell me what you remember what happened?"

Yuuri shook his head with fake regret. "No. I was saved by a kind stranger. I'm not sure where he found me, probably on the road, but I was developing hypothermia and severe degree of frostbites."

Another note jotted down. "Who is this kind stranger? Do you know him?"

The word stuck in Yuuri's throat. If he used Victor's name here, they would know he lied. If he didn't, they might have cross-checked that information with the hospital. Either way, it would end up with Yuuri having to tell Victor about it.

"That…"

Right at that moment, Yuuri saw shadow fell on the floor to his right. Officer Wilson shifted his gaze at the intruder. As did Yuuri.

"Yakov! What are you doing here?"

"Hm?" Yakov in turn looked at Yuuri with one raised eyebrow. "I could ask you the same. I'm here to return this wallet I found on the street."

Victor's coach put the ugly toad-colored wallet on the table. Closer, Yuuri could see the surface was badly chipped.

"Well, can you wait for a bit, Yakov? I'm not done with the interview yet."

"Interview?" Yakov frowned, looking back and forth from Yuuri to Wilson.

Seeing Yakov was about to assume the incorrect, Yuuri hastily explained. "Ah, I saw the news on TV a few days back. Since I know some things about that, I come here to report."

Yakov was doubtful. Yuuri looked too tense to be a simple report submission. Not that Yakov knew a lot about the raven male, but he had been seeing him a lot in the ice-rink. Also, Victor never seemed to stop talking about the very same man, so Yakov had learned a few things in the process.

"What news?"

This time, Wilson chipped in. "You know, the bus accident. The team had finished with the body count, lest for one, so they almost never aired it now in the local news."

"But that was two months ago! That news is expired!" Then, he suddenly realized something. He looked back to Yuuri, eyes bulging wide. "It can't be…"

Wilson nodded solemnly. "I know. I was surprised too. I'm interviewing him right now. Do you want to wait?"

Yakov certainly was curious. Not only did his genius protégé adored the raven from head to toe, his origin was always a big mystery to the regular visitors of the ice-rink. "Sure."

Yuuri swallowed visibly. Panic attack was a big monster looming close. Yakov coming here was totally unexpected. If he was here, Yuuri's lies might be exposed.

Amidst the panic, Yuuri's mouth suddenly flew open, and a word he didn't even think about came out like a thunder in a distant sky. "Yakov," he said breathlessly. "Yakov found me."

Yakov had never had his eyes so wide open before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah. I won't be able to write until the competition day, which is on Dec 7th. So, the fastest I can upload is around 10th, most probably. I'll try to be faster though.


	5. Where I Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hasetsu & three devils ;D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so late to post this. Like I said in the previous chapter, I have performance to do until 7th and can only post around 10th. But, hey, I post earlier than that! Praise me? LOL. Also, my team won the silver medal for the performance, but overall competition, we got a gold! Yay!
> 
> I wrote this as fast as I can (though I ended up rewriting twice again because I can't produce the right result on the first two attempts). That being said, I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well!

To be completely honest, Yuuri didn't know what prompted him to say that. Impulse? Desperation? Now that he had time to actually breath and think back, this was the worst idea he could ever come out with. His fear was messing with his head.

"Ah, um…Yakov…"

Victor's coach shook his head. "I found him dying on the road, then I asked my protégé, Victor, to help me take care of Yuuri's hospital administration. I didn't know he was the survivor of that accident."

So, it was very clear that Victor had spoken to Yakov regarding the circumstances. Yuuri casted a disbelieved stare at the man, but kept his words to himself. Yakov met his eyes, telling him to shut up and let Yakov handled this.

Yuuri looked down to his clenched hands on his lap, half-listening to Yakov weaving lies after lies for him. His chest hurt so much. In the end, he had to put the burden to someone else's shoulder again.

"Yuuri? Let's go back. We're done here."

The raven snapped up. Did he go into the daydreaming mode for so long already? "O-oh. Okay." He quickly stood up. Wilson didn't look bothered at the slightest, so Yakov's fabricated stories must be extremely well. "Officer, can you please call Yakov if you got any news? I want to go back."

Officer Wilson patted his shoulder softly. "I will. They found your bag near the bus and your passport was intact. It shouldn't be too hard to finish up the administration procedure to return you home."

Return? There would never be a _home_ to return to for Yuuri in this strange place. But he maintained a small smile and nodded.

He followed the old coach out, each steps growing heavier. Exiting the police station, he paused upon seeing the old man stopped in his track. Yuuri waited for what he knew would be coming.

"I'm still waiting for your explanation." Yakov said sternly, not turning around to face Yuuri.

The Japanese walked until he stood side by side with Yakov, then took the first step back to the ice-rink. Yakov followed his pace.

It was nearly the end of February. The snow fell heavily, and the wind was strong enough to turn his nose red. Yuuri hid his nose under the brown thick scarf that smelled so much like Victor.

"Ever since Victor saved me that day, there was this…growing feeling that he might become a very important person in my heart." Yakov nodded slowly. "I adored him, very much."

Yakov chuckled lightly. "Anyone can see that."

A small smile played on Yuuri's lips. He was _that_ easy to read. "It's really fine if I adored him very much, but I don't want him to feel the same way."

At that, Yakov halted. "What?"

Normally, one would be so happy to have his feeling returned. Not Yuuri. He feared it.

Not stopping his walk, Yuuri answered, "One day, I will return to where I belong, and I might not be able to see Victor again."

"That is a 'might', not a fixed event."

But it was, in Yuuri's mind. He couldn't disregard the probability that he might actually be able to return. Though, undoubtedly, it's a higher chance that he might not be able to. That thought made him felt ill with unease.

"I'm not talking about when I went back to Japan. I'm talking about a probability where I cease to exist. I don't want Victor to bear the pain of losing someone like that."

It was enough that he was the only one experiencing that. He didn't want Victor to feel the worst kind of pain.

Yuuri kept his pace, but before he reached past the supermarket, Yakov yanked him back.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuuri quirked one eyebrow. "By ceasing to exist!"

He pried his hand out from Yakov's grip, and in return, pulling the man into a hug. He didn't want Yakov to see what kind of pathetic face he was making right now. "I don't know what will happen, Yakov. I'm not sick, if that's what you were thinking. But, it doesn't change the fact that I might not have that much time here. I want to disappear silently from Victor's life. I don't want him to remember me at all if disappearing is where my fate lies."

Yuuri felt the old coach trembled lightly. His hands squeezing Yuuri's arms so hard. "Vitya loves you. You can't disappear like that from him."

"…no. He hasn't, Yakov. He is not aware of it and he won't ever. That's why I had to do this fast."

He would return to Hasetsu, hoping to find some clues. Then, maybe he could return faster than he expected. Even if he failed to go back, Hasetsu was where his family is. At least, it was where this world's Yuuri's family is. He could be him, and Yuuri would have a home. A wistful thinking, but a hope nonetheless.

"Yakov, promise me. Don't you tell Victor about this, okay? If you want him to succeed, make him forget me. I'm not worth his affection."

Yakov didn't nod. His fists clenched his arms so hard, Yuuri could feel the old man's frustration. They went back to the ice-rink in silence. And when they arrived, Yuuri acted like nothing happened, but Yakov was never be the same anymore.

* * *

Two weeks after the report, Yakov approached Yuuri several times at the rink. Apparently, he had made a call to the hospital, that in case the police wanted to investigate anything, he was to be called. Not Victor. There were questions raised, of course, but Victor was a famous figure skater. The world's precious genius and everybody knew he would take his sixth medal very soon. They agreed not to involve Victor in it, seeing as the issue wasn't critical at all.

Friday, Yakov slowly walked toward Yuuri who was talking to Lucia. His eyes were down and sadness was visible in his eyes that had seen too much pain already.

"Yakov! Done training the boys?" Lucia took out a cold bottle drink from the fridge behind her. She passed the drink to the coach.

Yakov turned the cap easily and drank a big gulp. "Heh. Yeah. Had to receive a call," he said, looking sadly at Yuuri. Noticing the look, Yuuri moved out to one bench at the corner where no one would be able to hear their conversation. On the rink, Victor was still busy training Yurio. Lucia kindly waved them off to talk their secrets.

"What is it, Yakov?"

"…"

"Yakov?"

"Are you sure this is what you want, Katsuki Yuuri?" His bulky body was shaking with anger. "Do you really want to hurt Vitya like this?"

Yuuri immediately caught on the implied message. The administration process was done. He could go back to Hasetsu. Of course, that was what he wanted, his mouth opened to form the replies. Words simply stuck. He wasn't sure.

"I…I don't know, Yakov. I liked him…so much, so strongly that every day I wish this day would never come. But, if I think about his happiness, I…"

"Stop." Yakov cut him with shaky breath. "I understand. This was sent to Wilson last week, but I hold into it because I still couldn't accept your decision. But I guess nothing could change your mind. I already told them you'd want no media was to be informed so that you can make your return discreet."

Yakov pulled out an envelope and handed it out to Yuuri. The Japanese took the white holder slowly, his fear growing. Inside a small blue book with brown poodle prints as its cover. Yuuri knew it. He had the exact same thing, the same cover. His passport. There was another piece of paper, besides his passport.

Eyes widen, Yuuri looked back and forth from the piece of paper - which turned out to be his flight ticket back - to Yakov.

"I don't have any right to force you to stay here, knowing there are people waiting for your return."

Yuuri didn't know what he should say. No words could ever come close to describe what he was feeling; because his mind was a turbulence of emotions right now.

* * *

"…ri. Yuuri. YUURI!"

"Eh? What?" Turning around, the raven found Victor standing with a deep frown on his face. "What is it, Victor?"

"That should be my question, Yuuri." He pointed at the clock. Yuuri followed the direction Victor's hand was pointing, surprised that it was almost ten. "It's time to go home. What happened? You were so out of it these days."

Indeed, he had. It had been two full days and he hadn't make a decision yet. No, that wasn't right. He already had his answer. Executing _it_ was the problem. Of everything he had to let go, leaving Victor was probably the hardest one.

"Hey, Victor," _would you come with me?_ The last part went unsaid as words were stuck in his throat. What was he trying to achieve by saying that?

"What is it, Yuuri? You can tell me anything."

There were too much to tell that he didn't know where to start. His feeling for Victor was so overwhelming, Yuuri didn't know what to do.

"Yuuri?"

He felt Victor stood so close to him. Victor was always warm, like a sun on a spring day; Like a warm breeze that would gently lulled Yuuri to sleep; Like home.

Not knowing how else to respond, Yuuri slipped his hands around Victor's waist and pulled him in. The Russian blond is always smelled like ice; the ice Yuuri missed so much.

"Victor…I'm sorry." It painfully sounded like a goodbye to Yuuri's own ears. He wondered if Victor noticed it.

All he got as an answer was a returned hug, and a hum.

* * *

The next day found Yuuri staring at his passport with something close to dread. Scratch that. He was whole-heartedly terrified; his knees almost went jelly. The closer he got to the immigration inspection, the more frighten he became.

This time, angering Yurio wasn't the reason. Disappointing Victor also wasn't the one. Well, he was fearing Victor's reaction too, upon seeing the letter he put on his desk. He had to - literally - run away even before dawn. He had left a message saying he was going back and would contact Victor again very soon, but not saying where. He didn't want Victor to get involved in nonsense that was his life.

He had also posted a mail to Yakov, informing the old coach of his departure and asked him to smooth things over with Lucia (and Victor, of course). Yakov would know what to say. Besides, the old man had become something like his 'accomplice' for lying to officer Wilson.

Seriously, he felt so bad for leaving without even saying anything. But with his existence being blurry at best, Yuuri didn't want to take the risk. If he somehow ended living permanently in this place, he would personally fly back to Detroit to beg for their forgiveness; prostrating himself if needed. Huh. Actually, it's very likely that he would get cold feet and never contacted any of them anymore.

"Next." The immigration officer called. Yuuri stepped up, shakily offered his passport. The officer looked at him for a moment, then to his passport. His eyes went comically wide then. "Katsuki Yuuri?!"

"Ah…yes."

Seemed like the news about his return didn't reach his hometown. That, or Yakov did a very good job pulling the strings.

"I'm glad you're safe. Welcome back." the man grinned, showing the crowfeet on the edge of his eyes. Yuuri gratefully took back his passport and murmured him soft thank you.

Fukuoka airport was unexpectedly chilly around this month. It was still in winter but it was not snowing today.

Yuuri walked slowly down the escalator to pick up his luggage. It was another 30 minutes of waiting, but Yuuri didn't mind. He needed every second to think of what to say to his family. Or would be family.

He saw his black suitcase coming out from the conveyor belt. Wait, not his. It was Victor's but that fact didn't matter in the slightest at this very moment. Dread was eating him alive; the very same feeling that caused his fail in the last Grand Prix Final.

Yuuri pulled down the suitcase, checking the luggage number to make sure and walked toward the exit. Darn it. Now his stomach is hurting. How very ironic, him, nervous to meet his own family. Why did Wilson had to tell his family of his return anyway?! No, wait. He had to do that. Besides, if the officer hadn't told them, Yuuri was sure his parents - or Minako-sensei, to be exact - would endure a day flight and drag him home the moment they heard Yuuri was alive.

 _IF_ this Minako-sensei had the same personality as the one in his memory anyway.

Lost in his thought, Yuuri completely missed the very same person that was occupying his head was now running full speed toward him.

"Yuuuuuuuurrrrriiiiiiiiiiii!"

"Ofgh!" The tackle went directly toward his throat. "Minako-sensei! Y-you're…you're hurting me!"

The long-haired former ballerina quickly released the raven with a sheepish smile. "Ehehe. Sorry, Yuuri. I'm just so happy you're safe! Yuuurriiiii!"

Then the dam just broke. Droplets of water fell like heavy rain from the sky. There, hugging him and wetting his shoulder with tears and snots was his beloved ballet teacher, Okukawa Minako.

* * *

His trip back to Hasetsu was…very far from silent. Minako-sensei had the radio turned on with news of Yuuri's return playing over and over again in so many channels. Apparently, him being alive was sort of a miracle, so the news was exaggerated a lot.

There was endless gratitude coming out from Minako-sensei as well as she drove them back to Yuuri's home. The mood was so dark and heavy after Yuuri was announced missing in the bus accident. His parents smiled still, but their eyes were dead. Mari spoke more harshly than before. Even her tongue was honed sharper than a blade. Yuuko and Takeshi brought their triplets a lot, hoping to improve the mood, but none worked until last week.

A male speaking in rushed English called to their inn during one of those dark days. Since Minako-sensei was there and she spoke the best English, she took over the call. The man, introduced himself as a police officer named Wilson. There were several short questions he threw but all were related to Yuuri. It was a mixture of hope and dread, answering those questions. Why did they ask now? Did they found Yuuri? Was he fine? Those hopeful questions swirled around in their heads.

It wasn't until he announced Yuuri's safety that the occupants of the room began crying like a five-year-old. That was why, when officer Wilson told them Yuuri was scheduled to return, they were so excited. Katsuki Hiroko and Mari cleaned his room like he was the royalty coming over to stay in their humble inn. Floor was swept, ceiling was cleaned, everything was sparkling when they were done. All because of one single news.

Yuuri thought to himself. What would really happen if he told them he wasn't their real family member? Would that sadden them? Would they hate him?

It was always those questions that prevented him from realizing his deepest wish. Be it with Victor or with his families and friends. He created a very strong line between him and them; separating himself from the world.

"We're here! Welcome home, Yuuri!" Minako-sensei announced. Her voice was so cheerful, the same voice he remembered back from where he came. The same Minako-sensei, but not her at the same time.

The same faces, different people. He wondered how in the world could he even lie to them.

"Yuuri!" The raven spread his arms, receiving his mother in his embrace. "Welcome back, my Yuuri!"

"Welcome back, Yuuri. I'm so glad you're safe," his father said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Welcome back, dear brother," Mari walked out finally, hugging both him and their mother. Tears streamed down from both like a flooded river.

Yuuri was so overwhelmed. Not even Mari ever showed him vulnerability like this. They trusted him. They believed he was their real son and brother. They were too real to not be his family. Before he could help it, he began to cry as well.

* * *

Sitting on his 'supposed' desk, Yuuri carefully reach for framed photos decorating the table. He saw Phichit, laughing wide with one hand slung over to Yuuri's shoulder. Behind them was his 'supposed' college.

He put back the photo then took another one. This one had his younger self with Yuuko and Nishigori at the Ice Castle.

Each and every photo in the frame was old. Except for the first one, the rest were all of his childhood. There weren't many pictures with ice-skating moment. And the older he got in the frame, the less he saw ice, but more of a piano or a guitar.

Yuuri frowned. He knew it wasn't an absolute that what he did there would be done by Yuuri here. The same way Chris wasn't a figure skater here, this world's Yuuri wasn't either. Then, what did he do? Pianist? But he played guitar in one photo. Musician?

Pulling the drawer open, Yuuri went through the stack of neatly arranged books. He pulled one and opened a book with black leather cover. Inside was a language he couldn't understand, but recognized: the musical notes.

Yuuri flipped the pages randomly. All was filled with tiny notes and random markings that were familiar only to the owner. For some reason, Yuuri felt he might be able to understand it, given some times.

He closed the book and put it back into the drawer. He took another note then, this one looked like a common writing book. He flipped the pages randomly again, finding more musical notes, but this time with writing he could understand. Yuuri in this world seemed quite proficient in the musical language. The notes he wrote was very detailed, even describing where he might fail and where he thought must be changed.

Yuuri closed this book too and put it back. It seemed that the whole drawer was filled with the same kind of book; the one he wouldn't understand unless he started learning it. Right now, it only looked like a secret code.

What could he do in this world? He had nothing but ice-skating right now. It was - quite sadly - the only thing he was good at. Of course, Yuuri could always help with the inn, but, to be honest, he had no passion for it.

"Hah…" He sighed, defeated. "Guess it's time to visit the Ice Castle."

* * *

For a very long time, Ice Castle Hasetsu was one of his safe haven. Even now, it still is, though Yuuri wasn't sure if the Ice Castle here would bring the same kind of importance to him.

Yuuri pushed the glass front door open, expecting to see Yuuko tending the counter. She wasn't there. As the layout was exactly the same as the one in his world, Yuuri navigated the place with ease. He took out the shoes fitting his size and proceeded to the back where he knew the ice-rink would be waiting for him.

He was expecting a comforting silence, as he usually had. This time, he was greeted by a surprising scene. Yuuko was teaching the triplets ice skating!

"Yuuko! You skate?!" Yuuri exclaimed with joy. Back then, Yuuko retired much earlier than Yuuri ever did. Maybe retired wasn't a right term. Yuuko never even tried for the certification.

Still holding one of her triplets, Yuuko looked up and found Yuuri grinning but with his eyes wide opened.

"Of course I am. Though I'm never passed the certification test, I did try. Anyway, Yuuri! What brings you here?!" She let the small brunette to her sisters and skated back to the entrance. She hugged him so hard, Yuuri almost couldn't breathe. "Though I've said it back then, I'm still very glad to find you back here safe and sound!"

Yuuko tried the certification test? Talk about strange. "Y-yeah. Thanks."

Yuuko let him go, then her eyes straightly went to the shoes in his hand. "You want to skate? It's been more than 10 years since you last skated. Want me to help you?"

10 FREAKING YEARS?! Yuuri was startled. Really? This world's Yuuri didn't touch ice-skating at all?

"Eh…ah…well…I'll be fine? You go back teaching your children, okay? I just want to clear my head for a bit."

"You sure?" Yuuko frowned, unsure if she should leave the newly-returned raven alone. "They're perfectly capable of running around in those blades comfortably now. Besides, it's almost an hour already, so they should've get out very soon."

Just like she said, Nishigori's female devils ran to her mother and latched on to her feet.

"Mom! Yuuri!"

"Hi, girls. Done having fun?" Yuuri squatted down to pat one of them. It was always a miracle how Yuuko managed to differentiate the three's names. They all looked the same to him. Mother's instinct, perhaps?

"Yeah," they replied synchronously. Then the one in the middle with twin pigtails - Lutz? - asked, "What about you, Yuuri? It's rare to find you here."

Yuuri brought up the shoes he picked on the way to the rink. "Want to skate for a bit. I need time to think alone."

"Hmm," The one with blue vest and single bun hummed, crossing her hand. This one was…Axel, probably. "You sure you don't want mom to teach you first?"

He was just needing time to skate around. No hard steps, no jumps. Just running around the rink.

"Nah. I'm not going to do the hard stuff. I just want to run around the rink for a few rounds," he replied with a smile and stood, allowing the three to return back to the concrete floor.

The three walked out of the ice with confidence. Yuuri smiled, remembering the same triplets from his Ice Castle. They were the three skating otaku too, but Yuuri was sure they had never stepped onto the ice yet. And Yuuko skating? He wanted to ask, but maybe later. Right now, his whole body was vibrating with desire to run freely around the ice. It had been too long.

Yuuri quickly put on his shoes, half-listening to Yuuko explaining about ice skating to her children. He didn't join their conversation. His urge was too strong to ignore.

The moment the blade of his shoes touched the ice, every chain binding his soul broke free. Yuuri inhaled deeply, relishing in the feeling he longed too much these past months. As expected, he couldn't stay too far away from the ice. It brought shine to his dull life.

A song began to play in his head, pulling his feet to move. Yuuri spread his arms, feeling the cold wind caressing his cheek. Nearing the edge, Yuuri shifted his feet a little, allowing the momentum to swerve him back to the center. From there, he spun a little.

The move began with a simple glide, it ended with a combination spin, though Yuuri did no jump at all. Time was halted when he was on the ice, allowing him to immerse into the nothingness. Often times, it led to him ignoring his surroundings.

Panting slightly, Yuuri spun a little bit more after the last combination spin until he regained his center back. Then, he skated back to the entrance, intending to quit the practice. He hadn't been able to think at this time, but it did help much to clear his head. Dancing on the ice always had that kind of effect to him.

The moment he turned toward the exit, he froze. Yuuri forgot all about Yuuko and the triplets. The former had her jaw slacked and eyes bulging right now.

A blush fanned his cheek. "Yuuko, you're still here…" Yuuri prompted, taking off from the ice and put in the blade's cover.

"Y…" Yuuri paused, one hand just in time finished putting on the cover to his shoes' blades. Yuuko jumped on to him, crying her eyes out. "Yuuri! THAT was AMAZING! When did you start learning to do a combination spin?! At Detroit?!"

"Eh, yeah. Something like that." It wasn't a complete lie. He did train under Celestino in Detroit.

"Still, to be able to do such a wonderful spin in just five years…you need to be a genius! Can you do any jumps?!"

"E-eh…that aside, Yuuko, do you have any videos on Victor Nikiforov?"

Yuuko released him and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. His avoidance was glaringly obvious, but Yuuko let it go with a wide smile. "Yeah. I have some."

"The Nishigori family's a big fans of Victor Nikiforov! We have all of his programs video-taped!" the last triplet chimed in. "We can lend all of it to you!"

Yuuko nodded eagerly. "Yep! You're as much as a member to our family. Besides, his programs are all very splendid! We'll be so happy to share!"

Sweat-dropped Yuuri silently thought to himself, what would happen if they knew Victor was his savior? It was maybe a good thing Yuuri didn't tell Victor about his return. There would be a massive chaos if these Victor's-rabid-fans had a run in with their idol.

That night, Yuuko visited the inn, bringing several DVDs of Victor's. Several days after, Yuuri was found occupying the TV, replaying Victor's program over and over again. After finishing all DVDs at least twice, Yuuri settled to replayed only one program. He picked the cover and read the title: _Stay Close to Me - Victor Nikiforov._

* * *

Victor was amazing. No, scratch that. He was ABSOLUTELY terrific. To think he managed to choreographed a program as hard as this; no wonder he was the world's five consecutive Grand Prix Final gold medalist.

Yuuri panted hard, trying to get on his feet again after his umpteen fails to land on the last quad-triple toe loop combination.

He almost finished replaying Victor's program after a full month of intensive training. He just needed to nail the last combination jump, and he could try again for the finished recreation. Thankfully, Yuuko allowed him to use the rink after closing time. She didn't even ask when Yuuri said he wanted to be alone. If she was here, Yuuri doubted he could get away without much questioning.

His parents noticed things, he noted nervously. There were so many different things Yuuri in this world did that he didn't know. For one, he finally found out that the other Yuuri was attending a college in Detroit for the music major. Music composition, to be specific. That was _way_ too different from Yuuri who insisted stubbornly to become a figure skater.

Yuuri also found out that this world's Yuuri had composed one very beautiful song. It was a chance that he found it, because he was thinking of checking if his drawer had a secret space underneath the table like his own. Instead of his diary like he expected, Yuuri found a CD. On the surface, there was his own handwriting that says: _Yuri on Ice_.

Slipped on the cover was one piece of paper. It was Yuuri's own handwriting again, this time, smaller and in Japanese. Yuuri read it slowly, burning each and every sentences in his memory.

_"I don't know when I start dreaming, but there is always a scene that plays when my eyes are closed. There is ice. Ice-skating rink, to be exact, and I'm always watching my perfect copy dancing a dance I know well since my childhood. Ice skating. Figure skating. Whichever is the term. What I know is that I feel free, like I'm soaring with the wind when the blades of my skate shoes scratches the pristine surface. I know I love the ice. I know I'm made for it. But I also know I'm searching for something. When I wake up, the song just hit me. Seeing my own copy so desperately dancing and looking for the other half of his soul, I'm strike with inspiration. This song is about me, dancing like a danseur on the ice. This song is about me, searching for my true self. This song is about us, hoping to complete our lives."_

Various emotions caught him by surprise. The other Yuuri felt him; seen him in his dream. Yuuri had never dreamed of the other, but at this very moment, he was overcome by the need to listen to this song.

Yuuri took out the laptop he knew was never password-protected. He was greeted by a picture of him laughing while Phichit desperately licked his melted ice cream. Yuuri smiled a little, missing his best friend so much. But he could contact the Thai male later.

The CD-Drive unlocked with a soft click. Yuuri pulled out the drive and placed in the CD. With another click, he inserted the CD and waited until it was read by the system. A small window popped up, asking him to choose an action. Yuuri opened up the folder and clicked on one single audio file in that CD.

The song that played was so beautiful, Yuuri nearly cried. From the first moment melody started to play, Yuuri closed his eyes, immersing himself in the music. Then, just as promptly, he could see himself dancing on the ice, the way he knew the other him saw in his dream.

Yuuri was wearing a suit he knew he would only wear on a competition. The glitter at the top part said that much. He could see himself doing jump after jump, spin after spin. His life flashed as music brought his dance to life. And finally, the piano went softer and slower, until it reached the end. The music stopped, but Yuuri's mind didn't.

Frantically, Yuuri reached over to his desk and grabbed a paper and a pen. His hand was scribbling so hard, he felt the desk must've lines from his writing. His fingers stopped moving, his eyes went over the list he wrote again. Yuuri's mind could still replay the song and move with clarity. Before he realized, his feet had brought him back to the Ice Castle.

Yuuko had left a duplicate key for Yuuri, so using it, Yuuri run toward the rink after grabbing his shoes. He put on a video recorder he knew Yuuko kept in one of the locker at the front. The tripod was put to hold the video camera. Then, Yuuri took out the CD player Yuuko always kept nearby and played the song again.

 _Yuri on Ice_ , that was the title. It was _his_ story. It was a song written for his sake.

Yuuri began the dance he saw in his mind. From a slow start he stepped seamlessly to a quad-double toe loops combination. Yuuri was best known for his step sequence, so he was really a bit astonished that he even thought of doing so many jumps. But he knew he could do it. For himself and for the other Yuuri whose whereabouts was still unknown.

Then came the Quad Salchow. Yuuri was so bad at it, but this time, he landed so lightly. Then came the triple loop, triple Axel, and triple flip. He touched down for the last one, but it didn't matter. The music slowed down, allowing Yuuri to take a longer breath. Spread Eagle, then came the Ina Bauer.

As the music picked up again, Yuuri moved faster, performing a Triple Axel - Single Loop - Triple Salchow combination. He fell again but picked himself up. The Triple Lutz - Triple Flip combination was soon after. Yuuri took another breather for the step sequence. The last quad. Toe or Flip? His mind debated, but in the end the Flip won. He glided forward, turned then toe picked his way to the last Quadruple flip.

He fell again this time, harder than the last. Yuuri could hear the loud thud of his fall, but Yuuri ignored the pain. He stood again, finishing the song. Only then he allowed himself to pant like he missed all the oxygen in the world. He had just performed the craziest program he had ever done - and created.

He stopped the video recorder and analyzed his move. There were many parts needed fixing, but he would perfect it. Definitely.

From that moment on, Yuuri spent his time more on the rink. He alternated the song between doing Victor's Stay Close to Me, with his _Yuri on Ice_. He talked less to his friends and family, but they didn't mind. Yuuri was always so unsure of his choice. But they knew, the moment he set his mind on something, he would make it happen. And this Yuuri had the same eyes, they said.

That brought Yuuri back to the current time, where he almost perfected copying Victor's program. He had nearly finished with his own song too. Yuuri wasn't sure what will he do after he mastered these two songs, but for now, he was perfectly content to just polish both to perfection.

Yuuri skated to the edge, reaching for the tape again. He clicked on the replay button, this time he finished the song without failing any of the jumps. He was so absorbed in flowing with the music, he missed the three mischievous triplets sneakily entering the observation area and recording his performance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who's waiting for Victor, you will find him on the next chapter! See you guys again in the next chapter :D


	6. Pain, Trust and Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What else is not clear enough from the title...hm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize beforehand to all of my beloved readers. I never realize the first few chapters were confusing to you. But I'm really glad chapter 5 cleared the confusion! XD

There was never a day when Victor thought he would be _this_ furious. He was always kind of an easy going guy. He got angry sometimes, yes. But never so furious that he would stomp away from his beloved ice-rink, kicking everything barring his way. Katsuki Yuuri had gone up from a timid sweet guy to an infuriating little devil in Victor's dictionary. The world had to congratulate the Japanese, because he had just done the almost-impossible, namely pissing Victor Nikiforov off.

One month. One FUCKING month without news. No mail, no text messages, no phone call, nothing.

It was more than one month ago; Victor woke up a bit too early than usual. He thought he would have a bit of a quality talk with his housemate. Yuuri had been acting really off and last night, he apologized for no reason. Victor didn't think it was a parting message. It FUCKING was. Yes, Victor Nikiforov cursed. And yes, Katsuki Yuuri was the cause.

At seven AM in the morning, Victor barged in Yuuri's room, hoping to catch the raven off guard only to find his bed was tucked in and tidied up. On top of his pillow was a folded paper that brought bad feeling into Victor. Oh yes, it was a bad news, indeed.

Victor had never seen Yuuri's handwriting before, but he was pretty sure this letter was written by the man himself.

_"Sorry I can't properly say goodbye to you. I'm returning home. I'll call you again soon. I'm truly sorry, Victor. Thank you for everything."_

Short, to the point, and missing the critical information. That was how Victor thought of Yuuri. And right now, his mind screamed: the FUCK?! No address? No phone number? Just sorry and thank you?!

Victor didn't need that shit.

Overcome by frustration, Victor kicked one of the benches' leg with the blade of his shoes. The poor bench didn't deserve it, but Victor needed to vent this. Victor was so going to find Yuuri. And when he did, he would have thought of a thousand and one way that Yuuri would regret his decision for leaving him like this. He would make him cry and say that he would never leave Victor again.

* * *

Victor was livid. Of course he was. And Yakov had no way to quell the anger so obviously emanating from his protégé. Yuuri told him to _smooth_ things out. Lucia had somehow suspected things ever since Yuuri's departure to the hospital. Yakov told her the truth and she simply hummed understandingly. No further questions asked. Not that Yakov could tell her anything more than what happened in the police station anyway. Yuuri was a fricking mystery.

The world's five times champion was another case. Yuuri specifically told Yakov _not_ to involve Victor in it. He had a career to think about and Victor should have wasted his time thinking about how to win the next medal, not how to help Yuuri. Yakov didn't think Victor needed to do it to such extreme, but this matter is between those two. Yakov didn't want to get involved in their personal matters.

Then there was Yurio. He was always an angry and snide cat, so it was a bizarre feeling to find him so down. He would look at the sky silently from the small ventilation above the rink, just like how Yuuri used to do. When he remembered he was doing the same thing as Yuuri, the boy would immediately shift his attention to his phone instead.

To be fair, Yuuri's prediction was off. He said if Victor really had a feeling for him, at least Yuuri was sure he hadn't noticed it yet. Before that happened, Yuuri had to disappear. Rather than forgetting the raven, Victor was instead thinking of him more. If this goes on, Victor would end up not practicing until he found the Japanese. Wasn't it a complete opposite to what Yuuri was trying to do?

He was wavering in his decision to tell Victor or not. Yuuri didn't specify where he had gone to, but it wasn't that hard to find it out from Wilson.

Oh boy, Victor would be so pissed off with him now. Yakov pulled out his phone and was about to dial the number he contacted quite often lately. He found Wilson's number at the top of his dial list and his thumb hovered above the call icon hesitantly when Yurio's cursing halted his attempt.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

Both Victor and Yakov turned to the blond Russian, frowning. How many times had he told the boy not to curse?! Yakov almost trudged off to the boy intending to scold him, but instead, the Russian Fairy rushed off to the exit of the rink, his eyes glued to his smartphone.

"Just…Holy CRAP, Victor! I found your little piglet!"

Yuuri? Yakov frowned. It can't be right. Yuuri was so determined to lay low and disappear from their lives. How could he so easily be found, and by Yurio, nonetheless?

Both Yakov and Victor approached the boy. Though Victor was indefinitely angry earlier, now he showed a small hopeful smile, though still with a deep frown to his forehead. Yakov chuckled secretly. Indeed, Yuuri was so mistaken.

"What have you found?" Victor's question brought Yakov back from his thought. He turned questioningly to Yurio, who in exchanged, flipped his smartphone toward his coaches.

"Mila tagged me a video posted to Instagram by someone named sukeota3sisters. Look at the title."

Victor and Yakov leaned in, reading the title typed in English. It said: _[Katsuki Yuuri] Tried to skate Victor's FS Program [Stay Close to Me]_.

"Yuuri? Is it _that_ Yuuri?" Yakov asked, eyes not leaving the screen yet, unbelieving what he had just read.

Unaffected, Yurio scrolled the page and pointed to a video posted there. "Just watch it."

Yakov was unsure, but curiosity won. He let Victor pressed the play button. There was a short buffering silence, then a song Yakov was familiar with started to play. In the middle of the rink, eyes closed was the raven they were searching for.

The three of them had suspected Yuuri, but none of them dared to voice it. Now, it seemed they would finally have their answers.

* * *

It was already midnight, Victor barely noticed. Ever since the first time he saw that video of Yuuri skating his program in Yurio's phone, something in Victor began to crack. He wanted to cheer. He wanted to say how amazing Yuuri was, dancing his program. Instead, he pressed his lips thin.

"Yurio, text me the link to that post. I'm going home now." Victor told his junior coldly and walked away without his usual cheery goodbyes.

Yakov and Yurio didn't say anything. They didn't need to. Both were, apparently, more in shock than Victor, finding Yuuri performing Victor's program so well. Yurio suspected Yuuri was a certified figure skater, but since they never heard of him, Yurio underestimated the raven. Victor though, he sensed something great in Yuuri. Though he was still surprised, he took it better than Yurio and Yakov.

The moment he got home, he didn't take a bath or dinner like he usually did. Victor still remembered to get Makkachin's dinner, but after that, he simply sat on his couch, replaying the video over and over again, analyzing, committing every move Yuuri made to his mind. Makkachin retired earlier, ignoring Victor to sleep on the owner's bed.

Yuuri had just outperformed him, Victor noted grudgingly but still with amazement. Victor wasn't sure what the raven was thinking when he was doing the program, but Victor could feel the emotion exploding from the raven. He was always so expressive and this song did so well to bring the real Yuuri out.

At the end of the video he had replayed for the umpteen times, Victor stopped and scrolled down to the poster's account. Sukeota3sisters, whoever that was, they must have been close to Yuuri to be able to get this video. If he could find them, he could find Yuuri.

Victor tapped on their account detail, smiling as he read the profile. He would kiss this sukeota3sisters later for putting in their location. Browsing their collection of photos, he could even see the same ice-rink that Yuuri used to perform that program. Ice Castle Hasetsu. As long as he knew the name, he could find it easily. After all, there is this brilliant invention called _Google_.

* * *

It didn't take even two days to convince Yakov to let Victor go to Japan, like he first thought. All Victor had to do was tell Yakov he had found where Yuuri is and that Victor wanted to talk to him. Yakov didn't deny his request. Actually, Yakov was sitting right here, beside him in the plane flying to Fukuoka.

Not just Yakov, even Yurio was eager to go. He was scowling during the whole flight, but from the way he was fidgeting, both Yakov and Victor knew the Russian Fairy was excited. He was always so bad at hiding his real feeling, often masking it with rude comments. Victor knew for sure Yurio liked Yuuri well enough to follow them here.

As for Victor… Well, he wouldn't admit to it, but Victor did feel eager to meet the raven again. He had so much to tell, but first and foremost, he planned to make his precious little piglet cry. He would spank and then kissed him so hard, there would only be Victor in his mind. He would look at Victor only.

Victor Nikiforov would admit to one thing. That is: Katsuki Yuuri belonged to him. Would it be strange to apply 'finder's keeper' quote here? Hm. He wouldn't let anyone's judgement bother him.

Anyway, he wouldn't let Yuuri go again, even if he had to put a chain to the raven. Victor didn't tell anyone about it. He didn't need to. The world would know from his action sooner or later. He was a bit too famous for his good. Though usually he hated the usual obligation that followed, only this time he would willingly let the paparazzi know of his interest.

Unlike usual, he didn't doze off during the flight. His head was a tangled mess of questions and emotions. He needed to sort them out, prioritize his questions. He had it enough of waiting for Yuuri to be ready to tell him. If he knew it would turn out this way, Victor would force everything out from the raven.

The speaker rumbled shortly, then the pilot's voice announced the flight was about to land very soon. Victor closed the magazine he opened but never read. Yurio was snoring lightly, so Victor helped him raised the folded table. Yakov grunted, swatting away his hand as his old hand pulled up the window shield. Victor smiled at him.

Slowly, as the plane approached its destination, Victor could make out sprouting green here and there. Houses were built in neat arrangements but still crowded.

Finally, the plane landed with a hard thud. His ears had gotten used to the deafening sound of the engine, being a frequent flyer. Victor watched the scenery passed by very fast, until finally the plane slowed down. He had finally arrived in Fukuoka. This place, was where Yuuri lived.

He hadn't come to a decision yet. Should he be mad first, or kissed the raven senseless first?

* * *

Hasetsu is - in Victor's immediate opinion - a heaven-like place. Yu-Topia had a bath bigger than any five star hotels Victor ever visited. It's called _Onsen_ and Victor had fallen in love with it.

The owner of Yu-Topia is the Katsuki family. Victor didn't know they were Yuuri's family, honestly. It was only when Katsuki Toshiya and Hiroko introduced themselves that the three Russians made the connection. It was purely coincidence they ended up staying in Yuuri's house. A quick search from Google revealed this place as the best inn with the best service in Hasetsu, so they ended up coming here.

"Katsuki-mama, do you know where's the Ice Castle Hasetsu?" Victor asked during dinner. Ever since he arrived, he hadn't seen Yuuri at all.

"Vic-chan, call me Hiroko, okay?" Yuuri was so similar to his mother, especially the way she spoke; a bit chiding, but polite and kind at the same time. Even the softness of their cheek are the same. Victor smiled in response. "I'd ask Yuuri to show you the way, but he was there from morning…ah, Mari!"

Katsuki Mari, she is Yuuri's older sister. With her short bleached hair and pierced ears, she looked real different from the straight-A student that is Yuuri.

"What is it?" She paused by the door, an empty can of beer in her hand.

"Vic-chan wants to go to the Ice Castle. Can you show him the way?"

Mari looked down from the doorway, meeting Victor's eyes. She frowned slightly. "You're…Victor Nikiforov! For real?" Her eyes switched to Yurio and she squealed. "…and Yuri Plisetski too!"

"You know us?" Victor questioned with a tilt of his head. Yuuri's a really great skater. Maybe his family shared the same interest? "Are you familiar with figure skating?"

Mari took a seat next to her mother and pour herself a cup of green tea. Her empty can was thrown into the bin with a loud clank. "Not really, actually. None in our family skated, but my younger brother has a childhood friend who is a skater."

"None?" Yakov frowned.

Unaware of the three's confusion, Mari replied with a quick nod and drank her tea. "Yeah. Nishigori Yuuko, she's my brother - Yuuri's - childhood friend. She was never certified, but she's still skating until now. She mostly teaches her children. Oh, and she's a big fans of yours too. That's how I come to recognize you two."

Victor smiled a bit. How could he dig out information without being too inconspicuous? He really wanted to hear about Yuuri.

Before he could form the right question, Yurio took the lead, surprising both Victor and Yakov. He had been so engrossed in gulfing down the Katsudon that they thought he wasn't interested.

"Yuuri's not a skater? He's a bit too skillful for not being a skater."

"Eh? Yuuri used to skate when he was a child, but he stopped when he was around twelve or thirteen," replied Toshio. "You guys know our Yuuri?"

Oh, damn. Victor mentally cursed. So much for being inconspicuous, he sighed mentally. Maybe this was a good chance. He was waiting for a good chance to reveal themselves, but now that Yurio had taken the initiative, might as well make use of it.

Victor exchanged look with Yakov. His coach gave Yurio a glaring dagger. The Russian Fairy ignored it and resumed his eating with a shrug.

Sighing at his antic, Yakov responded, "Yes. We know him. Actually, he stayed with Victor for a while. Victor kind of… _rescued_ him."

Hm? What's with Yakov's tone? He sounded…evasive. Victor gave his coach a look. That made the oldest Russian squirmed. Something inside Victor's mind clicked then. Yakov knew something!

"Yakov?" Victor's tone grew hard and threatening. "What are you hiding?"

Yakov squirmed again, but this time he handled Victor's threatening glare better. The old coach heaved a long sigh and shook his head, resigned. "It's either choosing to have you getting pissed off at me, or Yuuri."

"Well, if I'm to choose, I'll deal with Yuuri's anger anytime," Mari chimed in innocently.

"You're right," Yakov huffed. "I'm his…conspirator or the sort. I found Yuuri in the police station around two-three weeks before, and kind of…helped him with some of the paper works."

"Police station?"

What the hell? Victor never heard of that happening? Why did Yuuri have to go there? Did it have anything to do with the news? Now that he thought about it again, Yuuri began to act strangely after that news.

"Uh…yeah," Yakov answered with a guilty flush. "Yuuri reported himself as a survivor of the bus accident that was happening around two months ago, if you still remember."

Bus accident? But Victor found Yuuri in the ice rink! That was far enough from where the accident happened. Not to mention, two days after! The timeline hardly made any sense! But that explained the news. Victor had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from accusing his coach.

"They have his passport and all. So, identifying him was a fast procedure. I was sent his passport and return ticket a week after that."

"Oh! So you're the one officer Wilson was talking about?!" Hiroko exclaimed excitedly. Then, all of a sudden, the three Katsuki shifted back a little and bowed to them. "Thank you very much for helping our Yuuri. We're indebted to you!"

Victor didn't hear the rest of their conversation. His blue eyes stared at nowhere in particular. The questions that begged to be answered was never solved. And to make thing worse, more questions were added to the high pile of it. He really needed to have a long and _nice_ chat with Yuuri now, before his brain exploded from overload. God, his head hurt so much now.

* * *

After a prematurely ended dinner, Victor insisted to have Mari drawn him the map, instead of having her guide them to the Ice Castle. The conversation he - or they, Yurio insisted - wanted to have wouldn't be a nice to do in front of a family member, because it would involve a lot of probing and scolding.

Hasetsu in April was cold. Not as cold as Russia, but enough to make his teeth chattering. Spring was approaching, so there were sprouts beginning to thrive. Less snow too. Except the wind was still frigid. Yurio sneezed several times, having forgotten to wear his scarf.

Finding the Ice Castle Hasetsu wasn't as challenging as he first thought. They only made one turn, and the rest was a straight walk.

Throughout the journey, Victor kept sending Yakov a glare that screamed anger. As Yakov expected, Victor was livid upon knowing his involvement. Well, of course Victor would be. If he knew where Yuuri had gone to, he could've tell them.

"Yuuri specifically begged me not to tell you," He reasoned.

What was he trying to do, really? Was their relationship that shallow, that Yuuri refused to let him know of his return? If he would just tell him the truth, Victor would do everything to help. Even if that means going back to Japan with Yuuri.

"That's what he feared. You will act that far for him, and that scares him."

"He's a big moron," Yurio voiced Victor's thought.

Walking up the final slope, they finally arrived at the Ice Castle. It was already 9 PM, and reading the note on the door, the rink was closed at 8:30. Mari told them that Yuuri was allowed to use the rink for himself after operational hours because the Nishigori family owned the place. The current managers, that is Yuuko and her husband, were Yuuri's childhood friends. They gave him a duplicate key to access the rink anytime.

Also, ever since his return, Yuuri always spent his time skating, Mari told sadly. They didn't know what made him so determined to the point where he would forget to eat. Yuuri was always a very timid person. He lacked confidence. He even questioned his decision often times. The only time they remembered having seen Yuuri acted like that, was around a week or two before the accident.

They woke up one morning, finding Yuuri on his desk writing - composing - a song. He never replied their call. He barely ate. It was as if he was possessed by something. _This_ Yuuri had the same look, the same drive.

It was Victor's case all over again. But this time, he wouldn't back off until Yuuri tell him everything.

"It's not locked. Let's go in." Yakov tried the door.

Entering from the front door, they were greeted by the counter immediately. There was no one tending to it. To their left, there was an icon drawn in red paint that marked the left door as toilet. To the right, there was a word and an arrow icon drawn in the same paint color that said: Ice rink. They went to the right.

The inside of the rink looked pretty much normal. It was cozy, actually. It lacked the serious atmosphere like the rink in his hometown, or the one in Detroit. It felt like Yuuri.

The wall was painted in blue and white, pretty much the same as the whole building from the outside. From where they stood, they could see the rink in full view. Actually, this narrow glass-shielded room gave a feel of an observation room.

Victor paused. Dancing in the middle of the rink was the man he came here for. Yuuri had his earphone plugged in, dancing with a music they couldn't hear. He hadn't noticed any of them yet. And even from a far, Victor could see the kind of desperation he was in.

Yuuri had a frown marring his smooth forehead. Victor didn't know what made him so dissatisfied. He was dancing with so much grace and feeling, it made the three of them jaw-slacked. It was a different kind of elegance that he showed when he performed Victor's program.

The three waited with bated breath as Yuuri's steps entering a sequence of spins. The song was fast, that much was obvious. From more steps sequence, Yuuri glided to a straight line, a preparation to a jump they know would follow.

It happened so fast. At one moment, they thought Yuuri would land perfectly on that Quadruple Flip, again surprising the three Russians. There was enough rotation for the jump, but the Yuuri landed on unstable leg. Before any of them could voice their warning, there was a loud crash as Yuuri's body hit the ice. His phone flew a few meters and hit the wall so loud, the screen was most probably cracked.

His feet moved before his brain registered what was happening. Victor run to the entrance of the rink, intending to help, but stopped. Yuuri's cry was like a thousand of small blades that cut deep into his heart.

"MOVE!" He screamed, ordering his shaking feet. Even from here Victor could see how badly Yuuri had pushed his body. He was trembling hard, a clear sign of over extortion. "Move...please…"

Victor knew no Japanese, but he knew enough from Yuuri's tone that the raven was desperate. Of what, Victor didn't know. His whisper was softer than the spring wind, it carried over to Victor's ear, sounding more like a cry of help. He couldn't take another step, as sobs wrecked that overly exhausted body.

Yuuri's cries erased his will to fight. Slowly and as silently, his feet brought him closer to the weeping raven. He stood there silently, watching Yuuri's shaking fist clenched on the front of his pants. Big droplet of tears fell and wetting his dark-colored pants. His shoulder was hunched as he desperately tried to suppressed his emotions from leaking.

"It's okay, Yuuri. It's okay. I'm here for you." He walked around to face Yuuri. The raven's mind hadn't caught up with the situation yet. Frustration was still at the front most, catching him off guard.

Victor pulled him into a tight embrace, letting Yuuri cried his bleeding heart dry on his shoulder.

He didn't know what prompted him to do that. He wanted to scold Yuuri for being selfish. He said he wanted to make him regret for leaving him. Yet there he was, kneeling and in his arms was the source of his dilemma. Victor was clueless about what he should do now. After all, he'd never had his chest squeezed so painfully, hearing the one he loved wailed in agony.

* * *

Victor was silent. Yakov was frowning. Yurio was scowling. The three had no idea what had just happened. They came into the rink, hoping to catch Yuuri off guard and interrogate him. After all, there was no way someone who hadn't skated for more than 10 years could show something as amazing as the one in that video. If it didn't turn viral, Victor had no idea what else would.

Then, they found him, skating like a swan that had his wings clipped; desperately wishing he could fly, but failed again and again.

That cry, it reminded Victor of a wounded animal. Like Yuuri was frustrated of his own incompetency; frustrated that his body wouldn't move as ordered.

Victor didn't know how long the two of them sat on the ice. When he felt that melted ice had wetted the lower part of his pants, Victor lifted Yuuri up and brought him to sit on the bench. Yuuri was unaware the whole time, sobbing to his chest until all that was left was a gradual hiccups. It didn't take long until Yuuri finally passed out from exhaustion.

Yakov and Yurio finally approached them, after noticing Yuuri had blacked out.

"What now?" Yakov asked, unsure. He glanced shortly at the raven still in Victor's embrace.

"Looking from his state earlier, I'd say he was forcing himself too much. Mari said he barely remember to eat too. It might be better to let him rest for a few days." Victor replied, equally unsure.

Yurio clicked his tongue. "Like hell he'll willingly do that! You've seen how stubborn he can be. Maybe it'll be a better option to chain him to his bed for a few days."

Victor and Yakov blinked. They didn't think of that.

"In any case, we should take him back."

No one bothered to say otherwise.

* * *

_Hurts…_

There was vast darkness the moment Yuuri's eyes fluttered open. Darkness was everywhere, yet strangely, he could see where he stood. A thin layer of ice, he noted, reflected his bruising feet. Yuuri winced, feeling the cold stung the cut.

Brown eyes roamed again, trying to find something, someone in the world of silence. There was growing fear. He was afraid of being here alone. He called, only to have his own voice echoed back. There was no one but him.

 _Ah…I'm really alone_ , Yuuri thought remorsefully.

_Don't cry…_

Yuuri looked around again. He knew that voice. Warm, gentle voice that would guide him out of this place. He wanted to grab on a sliver of thin hope that voice gave.

"It's really okay, you know, to put more trust on others."

Yuuri snapped and quickly turned his back. Standing there was…himself? Mirror? Yuuri frowned. But his reflection just talked to him. No…that was no reflection. Yuuri was wearing the long sleeve black shirt and training pants he wore for exercising, but the other Yuuri wore a suit. Dark blue with sparkles adorning the top parts like a rainbow of stars.

"Are you…?"

His other-self smiled knowingly. "Yeah. I'm sorry if you think I'm gone for sure. I'm not." He said nonchalantly. "We're…switched. Hm…yeah, that's a suitable term to describe our…circumstances."

_Switched…_

"Are you in my world then?"

He smiled again, this time walking closer until he could touch Yuuri's cheek.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't know how to get back, but I'm sure you've found your reason not to get back too, haven't you?"

"I don't know," Yuuri replied truthfully. "I'm afraid of rejection."

"Aren't we all? But Yuuri, remember," the other Yuuri inhaled deeply. "We failed in our respective worlds. We're given another chance to restart. Take it and don't mess it up."

 _Chance…? Was it really…?_ Yuuri wasn't sure.

"I'm going now," his exact copy patted Yuuri's cheek. "Don't be a stubborn ass, and let _him_ in. I need to wake up now and meet _mine_ too. Goodbye, Yuuri…"

A single tear fell. His reflection slowly disintegrated into smaller pieces of light, until all Yuuri could see was the top half of him. The other Yuuri still had a knowing smile fixed on his lips.

"Thank you, for the song." Yuuri said finally. "And…goodbye…"

"Mm-hm. Make the best performance for me, okay?"

The other Yuuri's voice slowly faded out as his body disappeared into the endless darkness. Yuuri hadn't answered yet and he was alone again, in the depth of abyss, but fear didn't get to him this time. With a small smile, he closed his eyes, letting himself fall deeper into the unknown.

* * *

Yuuri woke up with tears falling sideways down to his ears. He blinked them away, but his eyes were still blurry from water. Oh, wait, he wasn't wearing his glasses.

The Japanese skater glanced to his side, finding silver splayed against the white of his bedsheet. Yuuri blinked again. He remembered hallucinating about crying in Victor's arms before losing consciousness. Victor's real?!

Caught by surprise, Yuuri tried to wake up in reflex. Pain shot up from his hips, sending painful jolt to his brain. Yuuri groaned out loud. Instead of sitting, Yuuri rolled himself smaller, trying not move his back any more.

"Hn…Yuuri! You're awake!" He heard the chair's feet screeching sound against the floor.

Yuuri didn't have to turn back to know what kind of expression Victor was wearing. More than that, his back is still killing him. Tears fell from Yuuri's squeezed eyes, and that had nothing to do with his earlier emotional breakdown.

"Yuuri, don't move yet. You landed badly on that Quad Flip and well…your back hit the ice pretty hard."

Yuuri took Victor's hand when the pain shifted to a dull throb after a moment. The silver-haired Russian slowly pulled him to sit, placing soft pillows for his back.

It took a few painful tries for Yuuri to find the best position that wouldn't further hurt him. When he finally getting comfortable, Yuuri sighed and relaxed into the collection of pillows.

Now that his back's getting comfortable…he had another problem to face. Yuuri slowly looked at Victor, putting extra effort to avoid looking at his eyes directly. With their distance so close, Yuuri could feel anger rolling out from Victor like a wave.

"Um…Victor…why are you here?"

"WHY…AM…I…HERE?" Yuuri flinched. He never heard of Victor using that kind of tone before. If Yuuri had to guess, it was…anger, maybe? A very, very terrible anger. Yuuri squirmed again, trying to make himself as smaller as possible by pressing deeper into the pillow. "You know the answer to that, don't you, Yuuri?"

"Uh…" Yuuri struggled to think of a decent reply. Victor was angry, and Yuuri knew perfectly why. The problem was, Yuuri didn't know how to get out of this. "I'm…sorry?"

That was a lame answer. Yuuri blushed, but still didn't dare to raise his eyes to meet Victor's. He knew he would just see how Victor's usual kind blue orbs turned into steel.

"Look at me, Yuuri."

Just a simple order. If that was the usual circumstances, Yuuri wouldn't hesitate to obey, but with Victor's still emanating obvious ire, Yuuri didn't know what to do.

"Yuuri," Victor started again. His finger landed on Yuuri's chin, forcing the raven to turn Victor's way. "If you promise not to do that again, I will forgive you this time. Okay, Yuuri?"

"Ah…O-o…okay…"

God! He couldn't even make a decent answer. Yuuri hadn't blushed so hard in years, and Victor managed to fished that out from him uncountable times already. When Victor's thumb softly rubbed his lower lip, Yuuri's mind slowed down to a turtle's pace. The finishing blow was when Victor leaned in, casually replacing his finger with a slow lick with his tongue. Yuuri's brain short-circuited.

Yuuri's savior came in form of her beloved Minako-sensei barging into his room like she owned the place.

"…but, Mari, Yuuri's not awake yet. What's the point of…"

Minako-sensei turned, seeing Yuuri froze and Victor's face an inch away from Yuuri. Both blue and brown eyes looked at her like she had just stepped into a wrong room. Thank goodness Minako-sensei had a nerve of steel that wouldn't lose to Victor's. Instead of feeling guilty, she grinned widely, ignoring the intimate distance of their faces.

"Yuuri! You're awake!"

Victor released him and stood beside Yuuri's bed, allowing his head to function again. Yuuri exhaled slowly, hoping his red-beat face would cool down instantly.

"Minako-sensei. I'm sorry for worrying you."

The former ballerina waved him off then took the seat Victor used earlier. Mari followed her into the room and stood beside her. "No worry. I'm just glad you're okay. Yurio said you crashed pretty hard on the ice. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. A bit sore and bruised, but I'll be as good as new again soon."

"A bit? Have you seen your feet?" Victor cut in. "You're not allowed to skate until Yakov or I said otherwise, Yuuri."

"What?" Yuuri pulled his blanket. True to what Victor said, his feet were a mess of bandages. Red seeped into the white. His feet bleed too. The pain in his back was so distracting that he didn't realize the cut on his feet too. Didn't mean he couldn't exercise though! "But Victor, I have to…"

"No." Victor sternly refused. "Until Yakov or _I_ said _otherwise_. Is that clear?"

Yuuri swallowed and nodded in defeat.

"Hey, Yuuri," Minako-sensei took Yuuri's hand into hers. "Will you talk to us? What really happened?"

_It's really okay, you know, to put more trust on others._

A thin smile appeared on his lips. Trust, huh?

"Mm…I'll tell you the truth soon. But just let me finish what I started first, please?"

"What you start, as in…skating? Yurio and Yakov came to my place to ask me some…stuff. I remember you stopped your ballet lesson the same time you stopped skating. They said it's not making any sense if you've quit for so long, yet you can perform a very complicated program. We've seen the video, by the way, and we agreed it didn't make sense."

Nodding, Yuuri pulled his hand from her grip and fiddled with a stray string from his blanket. "I need to finish my program first. Then, I'll tell everything. I won't run away, I promise."

When he said the last part, he looked directly into Victor's eyes. He refused to waver, no matter how mad Victor was.

"…Alright." Victor relented. "Just focus on recovering for now. I'll let you skate again as soon as I think it won't leave permanent damages to your body. Also, you have to promise to put a time limit to the exercise unless you want me or Yakov to follow you everywhere."

Yuuri sweat-dropped. He didn't want anyone to stalk him, especially while he trained.

"I promise." He quickly agreed. Then, he turned to Mari and Minako. "Mari-nee, Minako-sensei, I need your help. Can you tailor me two costumes?"

The long-haired brunette exchanged look with the blond woman. Mari shrugged, then said, "Yeah, sure. What's it for?"

Yuuri shared a secretive smile. "For the grand finale."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of you who've commented (I try to reply to all of you. If I didn't, please know that it's not intentional). Thank you for the kudos as well. I love you guys!
> 
> Well, the next chapter is the ending. There will be an extra chapter for epilogue too. Anyway...I hope this chapter's good enough. I actually hesitated for days, before one kind person encouraged me to just post it anyway.
> 
> Tell me what you think, and I'll see you guys again soon <3


	7. In the Future, Next to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very possessive Victor alert ;D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this is probably the fastest fanfic I've ever written! Less than two months to complete. A new record ROFL. Anyway, this chapter is not beta-ed. So please forgive me if you find any grammatical mistakes.

As he expected, there was a big uproar the moment the Nishigori family met face-to-face with Victor. Yuuko was actually screeching, one that sounded more like a strangled bear. It was the first time Yuuri managed to kick Takeshi's shin and not bullied in return because he was frozen in time. Even the triplets, they dropped their precious Instagram machine - a.k.a. smartphones and camera recorder.

Their faces were the funniest Yuuri had ever seen. Man, he laughed so hard, he could still feel his stomach muscle tightened.

In the center of the rink, Yuuri stood alone, breathing slowly and smiling, feeling his lungs expanded and constricted as he took in the air and released it. Yuuri loved ice-skating. It was his life, no matter what the other Yuuri had chosen. They were two different human sharing the same name and look, but lived in two different worlds. Yuuri wanted to say, that was all they had. But this song the other Yuuri created, it was for his sake. Then, Yuuri choreographed this program for both of them.

Yuuri wasn't sure what he planned would go as he expected, but, the least he could do is to left something as an evidence. If somehow, the other Yuuri managed to see Yuuri's program, Yuuri hoped it would help him in some way; the same way this song helped him.

Moving his feet, Yuuri listened to the music his blade created on the ice. The song spoke to him. It pulled him in, leading him into a series of complex dance like a conductor in an ensemble.

_You're the most beautiful when you're dancing on the ice, Yuuri._

Yuuri stopped. His eyes snapped open, searching for the source of voice he knew wouldn't be there. He looked up, watching the sun slowly set into orange light in the distance, wondering if tomorrow's going to be stormy like his heart.

* * *

The costume Mari-nee and Minako-sensei tailored for him fitted his body like a second skin. It wasn't too thick that it would constrict his movement. The second layer was actually sewn into the first, creating illusion of a two pieces of garment.

The overall color tone was dark, mostly dominated by dark blue. At the back there was intricate design of leaf pattern, with dark purple and dark green. The glitters followed the path of the pattern, until it reached the shoulder where it suddenly spread like the sand on a beach.

Yuuri smiled as he closed his eyes, imagining the perfect copy of the suit in his mind. The two women did really well to replicate everything just by his descriptions.

He donned the garment, feeling the newly finished costume rolled and twisted together with his limbs. It was soft and comfortable.

Hmm. Yuuri nodded in satisfaction. He looked exactly like how he imagined. It started with a brief flash in his mind. He saw himself and the other Yuuri stood face to face, with him wearing the usual training t-shirt and pants, and the other, strangely wearing a costume usually made for figure skating competition. Yuuri decided then to replicate the same garment for this program.

"Yuuri? Is the costume fit? Oh! You're looking handsome," Minako-sensei exclaimed, scrutinizing Yuuri's reflection from the top of his slicked back hair to his black skate shoes.

The raven skater turned away from the full-sized mirror, smiling as he hugged his ballet teacher. "Mm-hm. It's perfect. Thank you, sensei."

Okukawa Minako hugged him back in a long, comfortable silence.

* * *

"Yuuri, are you sure you're healthy enough to skate? Your feet are not hurting anymore, are they?"

Yuuri covered his chuckled with one hand. Another hand moved to comb Victor's longer locks. "Hey, Victor, lean closer," Yuuri asked with a small tilt of his head. Victor obeyed, letting their breath fanned each other's cheek. The moment their faces were an inch close, Yuuri kissed the corner of his lips.

"Don't ever take your eyes off me, okay?"

He couldn't even make a comeback. Not even a nod. And not even a yes. He was just that: shocked.

With a gentle pat to his cheek, Yuuri slid off to the center of the rink, breathing in and out very slowly.

"He looked really different from before, huh?" Yakov suddenly said, breaking the spell Yuuri put on Victor. "He's more relaxed."

"Yeah," Victor returned to reality only to agree. Yuuri had changed so much. Why, how, when, no one but Yuuri knew the answers. For now, Victor could only do what Yuuri asked him to do: to not take his eyes off Yuuri.

* * *

Damn it. That was so brave of him to kiss Victor like that! Yuuri willed himself to fight the blush from rising. But, he was glad he did it. Victor's shocked face was enough to clear the butterflies in his stomach.

A soft piano sound played, starting the program. In the center, Yuuri stood, eyes closed, head down. Slowly, as gently as a dancing leaf, his hands moved up. There, sitting on his hands was his heart for the world to see. He wanted them to see.

He spread his arms, inviting his spectators to judge, to think to themselves. This is who Yuuri is. This is the impostor who had acted and taken their Yuuri's place. An unforgiveable sin, Yuuri personally thought. Yet, he wanted them to love him; to care for him the way they cared for their Yuuri. He wanted them to give him a chance to start a new page.

He first started this song for the other Yuuri whom he thought was erased because of him. But knowing they were simply…given a better place, it assured Yuuri this wasn't a mistake. He changed the theme of his program. Love. That is his theme now.

First jump, Quad Toe and Double toe. He landed with a solid footing, continuing the program into a Flying Sit Spin.

Meeting Victor — no. Being saved by Victor was a lucky coincidence. A smile graced his lips. Yuuri didn't know he was capable of loving someone this much. Victor was a tease. He was a real genius, unlike a fake like Yuuri. He was funny. He was a flirt. But, everything about Victor was lovely. His smile, his eyes, his hair, they shine on Yuuri like a new sun.

Quadruple Salchow. The jump he managed to land only at 30% chance. He nailed it easily this time.

Yuuri had weaved a tangled web of lies. He built his place by putting his sins on others. He used them then threw them away.

Change Foot Camel Spin.

He had made a mess of his own life. This second chance granted to him might be a mistake. It might be intended for someone else. But Yuuri didn't care.

Triple Loop. Oh. He was able to gain a good height this time.

Yeah. Yuuri didn't care a shit if this life belonged to someone else. The other Yuuri said, this is a second chance for both of them. They could fix the big crack on their glass-like life. Cement it strong. Paint it with so many rainbow of colors.

The music softened to a gentle tune. He spread his arms, welcoming the new future.

An Outside Spread Eagle.

He would embrace this life. There were people he wanted to love.

Ina Bauer.

_Yes, Yuuri. Dance, like you're the most beautiful danseur. You are beautiful. The most…_

The music picked up again.

Triple Axel. This one was his favorite. The jump he was best at.

Cracked glass was made into a big hole. Yuuri had make a major mess. He was really the best at ruining his own life, he chuckled.

Triple Flip. Ah…so many jumps. Could he really do this?

_Yeah. Show them, Yuuri. This is our lives you are dancing. Show them the most beautiful you, dancing to my music._

Triple Axel, Single Loop and finally Triple Salchow combination.

Yes. He would show them the most beautiful him. He would captivate them, until they love him. Until Victor loves him.

Triple Lutz and then Triple Toe combination.

They came for him. Victor came for him. So he could be hopeful, right?

Quadruple Flip. This was the hardest jump. He never succeeded even once.

_You'll be okay._

Yeah. He's fine. Yuuri landed the Quad Flip easily, surprising himself. Then, he smiled. Even if Victor hadn't fallen in love with him, Yuuri would make him say he loved Yuuri.

He would tell them the truth. All of it. Even if they rejected him, Yuuri would convince them. Even if Victor hated him then, Yuuri would do everything to change his mind.

The last was…Combination Spin with change of foot…

_This is okay, right? I'm doing great, right?_

There was no answer. There was no Yuuri speaking to him in his mind. Yuuri slowly put a hand over his chest, another spread wide. His left feet crossed back. He couldn't hear the other Yuuri's voice anymore. He wasn't even sure if the voice he heard all this time is real. But didn't mean he couldn't give him his most elegant curtsey.

The music ended with a single drop of the piano tuts. Yuuri's heavy breathing was the only sound in the deafening silence.

There was no applause, no cheering that came after the end of one's program. Yuuri grinned to himself as he lowered his arms to his sides. He finished the song without flunking any jump! Slowly, he made his way toward the exit where his friend and families stood, watching him. Yuuri's grin dropped.

Victor was there, eyes following him like a hawk even when Yuuri was only skating on a straight line. Yuuri didn't want to meet his parent's eyes yet. He was still afraid of their judgement. Of course he was. It wasn't like Yuuri could completely change his mindset so easily, but he had come to understand the need to accept their decisions.

For now, though, he only wanted Victor's opinion. Everything else, he would deal later.

"Victor, am I doing okay?" He walked out of the ice with unsure steps. Victor hadn't said anything yet. Actually, none of the spectators had say a word yet.

Yuuri put the skate guards with shaking hands. He said he would accept their decisions, but waiting was painful. Especially when he didn't know if they even liked what he just performed. Was this rejection, after all?

Before his thought could run any further, a large hand pulled his wrist up, forcing Yuuri to look up to his captor. Victor was there, smiling with the most beautiful smile Yuuri had ever seen. His oh-so-blue eyes were twinkling with adoration.

"Katsuki papa, mama and sister, I apologize in advanced," he said. Yuuri didn't even have a chance to ask why Victor apologized, the world's gold medalist's free hand pulled Yuuri's head to him and crushed their lips in a bruising kiss.

Yuuri had just had the biggest shock in the 23 years of his life.

He heard a squeal of delight. Was that Yuuko? Uh… why was his mother blushed like a school girl? Mari-nee and Minako-sensei were jaw-dropped, but blushing too. He faintly heard Yurio's annoyed cursing.

"Don't worry, mama! Leave it to us for the pictures!" He faintly heard the sound of shutters.

Not good. Yuuri's head was spinning wildly.

Victor bit his lower lip gently before he finally allowed Yuuri to breathe again. He blinked. Then blinked again. What in the world had just happened?!

"Sorry, Yuuri. You were so beautiful out there, I just have to kiss you." Victor winked, and Yuuri dropped to the floor. His knees literally turned jelly.

* * *

Yuuri's face was still hot and red, even after an hour had passed. Not even the ice could cool his over-heating cheek right now. His head kept coming back to the exact second Victor's lips locked onto his. Yuuri said he'd make Victor fall in love with him, if the world champion hadn't already. This, though, was totally unexpected. Instead of making Victor fell for him, the older man had Yuuri fell for Victor instead. Badly.

Sitting around him in a big circle was his only spectators. They are his family, his friends…and someone who have all of his heart. Yuuri looked around him, slowly committing their faces one by one, until he memorized the way their lips parted in a laugh, the way their eyes twinkled with mirth, the way their forehead furrowed in a frown. His precious people.

"So, why don't you start telling us what happened to you now?" Yurio started curtly. He was the only one standing, preferring not to sit in the big circle.

Yuuri scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know where to start…"

"Hm…why don't you start by telling us how you end up unconscious in the rink? That's where I found you." Victor offered helpfully.

Victor was right. It was the starting point.

"Eh? I thought Yakov found Yuuri near the location of that accident, and Yakov asked Victor to bring Yuuri to the hospital, right? Then Victor offered a place to stay because Yuuri had no place to stay, and amnesia?" His mother questioned confusedly.

Yuuri's lies were one too many. He would have a hard time sorting them now…sigh. He really reaped what he sowed.

"No, mom. Victor found me in the rink, as he said. He brought me to the hospital and the last part is true, except for the amnesia bit. I never lose my memories. I simply stay silent when they assumed."

There was a pregnant silence followed by numerous deep frowns. He must stay strong, and kept telling them the rest.

"I was never involved in the bus accident."

"B-but they found your bag!" Mari-nee cut in.

Yuuri nodded solemnly, fiddling with the front end of his suit. "They found Yuuri's bag. Yuuri's involved in the bus accident, not me. It was never me."

"I…I don't understand." This time Yuuko chimed in. "You're Yuuri. Why are you talking like you're someone else?"

This is it. Yuuri braced himself and breathed in. "I _am_ Yuuri. I'm simply not the same Yuuri that grew up together with you." Upon seeing more confused faces, Yuuri didn't stop. "Yuuri's a music composer. I'm pretty sure someone here recognized the song I used for my free skating earlier."

He looked around, trying to find the one person who'd be the witness to his evidence. Minako gasped. As did Yuuko and Takeshi.

Smiling again, Yuuri nodded to them. "It's the song Yuuri composed…for me. No, for us."

"Okay, I'm lost. Then you meant to say that you're not Yuuri?" It was Takeshi questioning him this time. All of this was probably not making any sense to any of them. It even sounded like a nonsense to Yuuri. But it is still the truth.

Refusing to lose his nerve, Yuuri replied, "Like I said, I _am_ Yuuri. I'm just not the same Yuuri you all knew. We were…switched. Or something." He finished lamely. What's this something? He had to explain his idea to them.

"The other Yuuri's fine. Don't worry," he hastily said, seeing his mother's freaked out face. "He _is_ involved in the bus accident, but the last time I saw him, he's fine. Probably waking up now."

"Okay, Yuuri. Stop. We're all confused. Can you slow down? And all of you," Victor paused to glare at each one of them. He especially fixed the stare longer upon meeting Yurio's. "Stop questioning until Yuuri's done with his story."

A soft giggle bubbled up from within. It was so unexpected that Victor's the only one who seemed not rattled. Unexpected, but not unwelcomed. There was a collective of yesses and nods from the occupants.

"So, this is just my idea, but, I think Yuuri's in my world right now."

"What the fuck are you saying? You hit your head?" Yurio snapped, moving away from the wall he rested at. Although, it wasn't Yuuri who glare dagger at him. All of them except Yuuri and Yurio did. The mad Russian tch-ed in irritation and leaned back.

"My memory of that day's a bit fuzzy, but I remember roughly where I was and what I did. I was in London, having just blew up my Grand Prix Final competition. I was running on high fever and was…well, disheartened for failing."

Disheartened…hah! He was about to retire for good. Talk about understatement.

Yuuri casted his eyes down. He didn't want them to see his vulnerability reflected in his eyes, more than what he already shown. His past weakness was something only he, himself, needed to know.

"I was in the infirmary, resting until it was almost midnight. Before I went back to the hotel, I thought I wanted to do my short program once again. You know, I blew it up so spectacularly, I thought I wanted to do it right just one more time. I was skating at one moment. I fell during a jump, then suddenly everything just went dark. I saw the ice melted and I was drowning."

Yuuri paused to take a longer breath.

"The next moment, I was in the hospital."

"You were in London, then you woke up in a hospital in Detroit. The bus accident happened, then Yuuri disappeared. I summed that's what you're trying to say?" Yakov recapped, to which Yuuri nodded.

"You're cutting me. But yes, that's what I know had occurred," the raven skater answered, still not wanting to have a look at their eyes. "The rest is as the three of you already know."

He was referring to the three Russians. Victor was strangely silent the whole time.

"So you lied when you said you're going to the hospital?" Yurio cut in again, ignoring Yakov's glare. "You told me to distract Victor. You never went to the hospital?"

Flinching, Yuuri braved himself to sneak a peek at Victor. Since he sat to Yuuri's right, Victor's eyes were hidden by his long locks. He quickly shifted his gaze back down, afraid of Victor catching him staring.

"Um…yeah. I didn't want to involve him in my mess. In the hospital, I already have an inkling of what had occurred. I had prepared myself to live without an identity in this world. Then, I saw the news, and…I thought I might be able to get a clue here. There are many discrepancies of occupations, I noticed, between here and there, but fundamentally, everything's the same. This world's Yuuri has the same family, the same circle of friends and I have. Occupationally, well, as you know, the real Yuuri's a composer. I'm a figure skater."

Yuuri felt Victor jerked at something he said, but since Victor didn't say anything, Yuuri kept his questions to himself. Instead, he looked at Yurio again, carefully avoiding his eyes and settled at the angry twitch of his lips.

"I met Yakov at the police station. I kind of…pulled him in into the mess, but it was really a mistake. I was mentioning your name by reflex! I'm sorry, Yakov."

Yakov was wearing his old grey hat when he sat down, but now he pulled them down, crossing his arms, annoyed. "You didn't want to involve Vitya, yes, you told me already. By ceasing to exist," Yuuri felt Victor's finger twitched again. He could feel it, having Victor's hand rested on the space beside his tight. Actually, his hand brushed against his thigh. "…you mean, there's a probability that you might return to your original world, thus, it's preferably better to not have us involved too deeply in your case?"

"Yes," Yuuri exhaled the breath he was holding. Thank God Yakov's quick to catch on. He wasn't as defensive about this whole _'other world'_ things as Yurio did. "I didn't know anything back then. I returned here, finding everything here is exactly the same as my own, lest for a few small facts. Like Yuuko's still skating here. The Yuuko in my world stopped skating when she was around…thirteen, I think. She married Takeshi still, and have the three same devil triplets." Yuuri laughed fondly at the said triplets.

"What do you mean by 'our Yuuri' composed that song for both of you?" Toshiya had a said for the first time. His father was always the kind of man who would lay back and just follow where the river flowed. To have him raise a question was amazing, in his own way.

"I found the CD under his desk, hidden in a secret space only we would know. I had the same one, though it had my diary, his had the song. There was a note," he explained and pulled out the piece of paper he folded into the small pocket in his pants.

He passed the paper to his father on his left, letting his old eyes read the content a few times. Then, he let his mother read it. The papers continued to be passed around.

Yuuri didn't wait for all of them to finish reading the content. "I thought, I caused him to disappear. I was scared. I was frustrated. I felt…guilty. I thought, I should be the one disappearing, not him. Not him who had everything. I thought, the least I can do is to finish what he started."

The paper finally reached Victor's hand. Yuuri still couldn't see the tallest man's reaction.

"…so, I choreographed that program, using his song. After all, he told me to show him my best performance."

"How…" Mari choked on his words. Tears fell. Yuuri had never seen his sister cried before. He caused this. He caused them to suffer. He caused them sadness.

Minako-sensei quickly went to her side and pulled her into a hug.

"Did you talk to our Yuuri?" Minako-sensei's voice wavered, but she stayed strong. For Mari-nee's sake. "Is he fine?"

"I did," answered Yuuri. "When I passed out, I met him in a dream. That's how I know we were switched. He told me. I don't know if he's well or if he's still hurting from the accident, but, he's alive. I'm very sure of that."

"I think I need time to think," His father suddenly announced and stood up. He didn't look over any of them and just left. Yuuri felt a pang of guilt. They hated him.

His mother stood up as well, following her husband. It didn't take long for Minako-sensei to pull Mari-nee up and lead her away. He had ruined everything…

_I'm sorry, Yuuri. I failed…_

He wouldn't cry. He couldn't let his tears from falling. He would be strong and accepted their hatred, if it ended up that way. Yuuri clenched his fist hard.

Yuuko led the triplets to the exit, following his parents. He saw Takeshi walked to him and simply stood silently, glaring at his squinched head. He said nothing and just left after his wife.

His heart throbbed. He could already hear the sound of his heart cracking. Unclenching his fist, Yuuri saw slight red painted his skin. It stung a little bit but the pain in his chest was more unbearable. But he wouldn't allow himself to appear weak. He would cry, later, let his fragile glass-heart be broken to pieces, after they'd decided he was nothing but a waste of time.

"You are a very good skater, Katsuki Yuuri."

"I bet you're not sure how to respond that you resorted to say that, aren't you?" he allowed a small smile.

Yakov snorted and waved away from him. Yuuri then turned to Yurio, predicting the boy would be the next to leave. For the first time since he started his story, Yuuri straightly met the other's eyes. He bet they looked red and watery.

Taking out his hands from his pants' pockets, Yurio huffed at him, then pushed his body away from the wall. He walked over to Yuuri. Without remorse, he slapped Yuuri's shoulder hard. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated loudly in the almost empty dome-shaped rink.

Water almost fell, but it didn't. Yuuri cringed in pain.

"Agape," the Russian Fairy started. His tone clipped and curt. "It helped."

"I see…that's good. I was told the same thing for my falling program. I thought it would help you."

Yurio hummed, but said nothing else. He left shortly after, leaving Yuuri in a very tense silence with Victor. Yuuri mentally debated if he should say something to Victor. The latter hadn't spoken at all and that actually scared Yuuri the most. He feared what he didn't know. Victor, Yuuri learned now, is the epitome of unknown.

_Victor, you should leave._

Yuuri opened his mouth, intending to say the words. It's better to have a quick and clean cut than being left hanging, Yuuri thought to himself. The words just stuck, unable to be voiced. He tried again, breathed in deeply, collecting every ounce of bravery he had left. Still, nothing left from his parted lips.

The raven slumped back, head hung even lower. Maybe it would be better to just leave Victor alone. He stood, watching his feet that was still encased in the rigid skate shoes.

He sat back down and quickly unlaced them. He had gone through this thousands of times already. Yet he still struggled with his trembling fingers.

His feet were a mess, he noted sourly. When he hard-headedly decided to go through with it, his feet were still raw and red. It was never a problem. The throbs were a good distraction.

Barefooted, Yuuri stood again with his skates in hands. Pausing beside Victor, Yuuri pondered for a moment if he should've said something. In the end, he was just a damn coward. He looked away from the only person he ever idolized, and walked away.

Yuuri hadn't taken three steps away when Victor suddenly grabbed his wrist. One of His skates were dropped to the floor.

"Why are you running away again?" Victor's voice was hard and cold.

He yanked Yuuri back and pushed him back against the wall. The impact left him breathless and he accidentally dropped the other skate.

The concrete was cold, but Victor was colder in his anger. His one hand is still on Yuuri's wrist, bruising the pale skin. Another slammed to the side of the shorter male's head. Yuuri still couldn't see his eyes.

"I thought I had you promised not to run from me again. Then why are you going away?" Victor finally looked up.

Even when they're merciless, Victor's blue eyes still captivated Yuuri to no end. Just a look from Victor, and Yuuri's shaken to his core.

"On whose permission do you leave? When did I ever give you a go?"

To the bombardment of questions, Yuuri forced himself to stammer a response. "I-I'm not…"

…not running away? But he did. Almost.

"Victor, I-"

His words were forever gone. Victor sealed his lips with another bruising kiss. The hand that was blocking his escape was now trapping his face, tilting it up to receive his punishment.

Yuuri gasped. Unlike Victor's first kiss where he lightly bit Yuuri's lips, this time he drew blood. He tasted iron. Yuuri wasn't even allowed a short moment to breath as Victor assaulted his mouth relentlessly.

Victor was forcing his way through, breaking his carefully patched wall. Yuuri thought his defenses would crumble to dust when Victor was finished with him.

When that moment finally came, Victor released him just short enough for Yuuri to try to appease the Russian's anger again. He was trying to salvage the situation.

"Vic-"

Yuuri never completed the name. Victor captured his mouth again, using the momentum where Yuuri opened his mouth to slid his tongue inside.

His moan was a flood, unstoppable. Where he thought of pushing Victor away, the Russian insistently pushed his tongue deeper. It was hot as the warm flesh caressed the sensitive roof of Yuuri's wet cave. It melted his brain.

He would either die of suffocation, or brain meltdown, Yuuri said to himself. Both were actually a quite arousing enough ideas to die for, especially the last one.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, Yuuri's muddled brain hadn't decided - Victor slowed his pace down. He licked at the wound he made. He kissed a stray tear away from Yuuri's cheek. Slower, and so gently until he came to a stop.

He drew back barely far enough to scrutinize Yuuri from head to toe. Added to the fact that he had just completed one crazy program, his hair was very disheveled already. His lips were probably swollen and red. There was a totally-unlike Victor's haughty smile there as he looked down at Yuuri. "You're even more beautiful messed up."

Yuuri couldn't stutter a response, because Victor leaned in again; this time kissing him carefully, lovingly and passionately. Yuuri wasn't sure if Victor's actually punishing him, or giving him a reward.

Victor's kisses were wild. It was liquid fire running through his vein, curling his toes with undying passion. But the next one, was sweet. Like a garden of lilies, it surrounded Yuuri with beauty and warmth. Yuuri wasn't sure when Victor had released the crushing grip on his wrist. He didn't know when he let go of Yuuri's chin. When they parted, Yuuri's hands were grabbing the lapel of Victor's coat, and Victor's hands were on the small of his back, drawing small circles.

Face painted in lovely blossom, Yuuri panted weakly. "A-are you no longer mad at me?"

Victor peppered his nose and cheek with more kisses. "I still am. But when you're being so cute, it's hard to not mess you up. You are so beautiful, Katsuki Yuuri."

Yuuri's face turned into a deeper shade of red, if that was even humanly possible. He was still shaking and would have slid off to the floor if not for Victor's support.

"You said you've forgiven me for what I did before. But why are you angry again?"

Yuuri let Victor pressed him until his back fully rested on the wall again. This time, Victor trapped him with his whole body. His leg slipped between Yuuri's thighs so the raven had very little space to move. Fire still burn brightly in his beautiful ocean-colored orbs.

"I just don't like you demeaning yourself like that. My head's still hurting from all the complicated processing, but I do know for sure that you're real. As real as this world's Yuuri's existence."

Yuuri blinked. The haze of confusion is clearing fast. Victor was annoyed because Yuuri labeled this world's Yuuri as the real Yuuri. Victor hated his choice of word that is putting Yuuri himself as a fake.

"That's all?" he couldn't help but ask. Victor returned to his sweet self, pouting adorably.

"And what's that about ceasing? You're not allowed to disappear from me!"

Yuuri let Victor draw him in again into a sweet hug. This time, Yuuri participated and pressed his nose to the creek of Victor's neck. His hands encircling Victor's lean waist. His coat smelled like Yuuri, having shared the same detergent.

"Victor…"

"What?" the older male mumbled.

"You're getting angry for the weirdest things. You're not bothered?"

"…about what you just told us?"

Yuuri shuddered. "Yeah."

"I don't care if you're fat or skinny, handsome or not. You're definitely adorable, by the way," Yuuri laughed. "I don't care if you're from an alien or someone from a different world. You're Yuuri. You're real to me. And I love you just as strongly."

Yuuri made a chocked sound.

"Victor…"

"Yeah, Yuuri?"

"That was the least romantic confession I've ever heard." He smiled to Victor's neck.

"You want me to get you a bouquet of flowers and kneel on the floor?"

Did he?

"Nah," Yuuri chuckled. "You're fine as it is. I love you too." He kissed the vein on Victor's neck gently. "I love you too much."

* * *

On their way back, Victor held his hand. Yuuri didn't ask, and Victor didn't feel a need to explain. They both understood. As if their shared heat told a million of stories.

The walk back to the inn was faster than when they all departed together to the rink. From so many people, down to just two. If they didn't accept Yuuri, where would he go? He should've been afraid, but he wasn't. He felt…calm. Strangely unruffled.

Unlike before when he was alone, having Victor held his hand like this calmed his nerves. He knew that, even if everything went south, Victor would be there with him. Not being alone is so much more assuring.

Familiar front door of his house stopped Yuuri's feet from approaching. With his hand still holding Yuuri's, Victor paused too. He turned sideways, gauging Yuuri's reaction. The raven had a forlorn look.

"Yuuri," Victor tugged his lover's hand gently, catching his attention. "Don't worry. I'm here. Whatever happens, I'll protect you."

"Cheesy." Yuuri murmured back with a small smile. "But thanks, Victor."

* * *

The lobby of the inn - his own home - had never been so foreign to Yuuri. The corridor where run and fell when he was six, the onsen he took every night, even the counter which he tended often times, they all felt alien. Yuuri didn't blame it on the fact that this house isn't really his house, more to the fact that it might never be his home.

Yuuri felt Victor squeezed his hand and pulled him in, protecting Yuuri from the wild wind outside. The weather suddenly picked up and even with the front door closed, he could hear the whirling sound of the wind, and distant rumbling of thunders.

"Let's go in, Yuuri." The raven hesitated with the slightest jerk of his hand. Victor didn't allow Yuuri to pull his hand. "Come on."

Yuuri gave up the fight with a small smile, letting Victor guided him into the living room. There was only Katsuki Toshiya there with a newspaper opened, but eyes glaring at a darkened corner in the ceiling.

"We're back," Victor announced their arrival. From the kitchen, Yuuri heard a hurried shuffle, then Mari-nee appeared.

"Ah, welcome back. Dinner's almost ready. Take a seat."

His father hadn't look at them yet, but he certainly heard Victor's greeting. The oldest male folded the newspaper so slowly, as if it was a precious love letter that must be preserved. Yuuri actually chuckled at that the image.

Victor took the seat to the far end, leaving Yuuri to sit on his left. Their hands were still locked. Yuuri felt Victor's thumb made a slow caress to his palm.

Before long, Mari-nee and his mother appeared with some bowl of Katsudon. They set it in front of each of them, then two more to the opposite end of Yuuri and Victor's seat.

"Yurio and Yakov will join us soon," Mari-nee explained, taking Yuuri's right.

Yuuri stared at his counterpart's mother took Victor's other side, then his father next to her. No one spoke or look at his eyes directly, mostly speaking with him through Victor. Yuuri felt another squeeze to his shaking hand.

He met Victor's smiling eyes, replying the encouragement with a faltering grin.

Finally, Yakov and Yurio walked into the room, each taking the empty seat. Victor took the chopstick and shouted a cheery 'itadakimasu'. Yuuri managed his with a soft murmur, as did his families.

For quite a while, they ate in silence. Most of them glared at the Katsudon in front of them. Except Yuuri. His earth-colored orbs wandered everywhere, taking in differences.

There was several trophies of different sizes and color lined up in a glass shelf. In the middle of the second row, there was Yuuri's own face, grinning wide and making a 'V' with his hand. To his right, Minako-sensei wrapped an arm, kissing his cheek. On Yuuri's other hand was a gold medal.

So, his counterpart had a gold medal. The trophies were probably evidence of his accomplishments too. But then, why did he not want to return, if his life was just…peachy? It's true that Yuuri found his reason here, but the other Yuuri had a good life!

Unable to keep the bottled up curiosity, Yuuri opened his mouth and asked, "Was Yuuri in a slump or something?"

For the first time, Katsuki Hiroko looked up from her bowl. She traced Yuuri's line of sight until she found the reason for Yuuri's question.

"…maybe so. Yuuri's…"

"…the figure skater with the world's biggest glass heart." He cut in. Then suddenly realized he had just cut her. He tore his gaze away and returned to the almost-untouched Katsudon. "Sorry."

"What's with that?" Victor bumped his shoulder lightly.

Yuuri shook his head. "I don't remember who said that. It was about me, apparently. We're technically the same person, so the world's biggest glass heart applied to him as well."

"Hm…I guess that's true. Yuuri easily crumbled in the face of pressure. I guess that's what makes him so captivating. He is timid and easily break down, but he picked himself up again and again. Also, he's so fun to tease."

He was there. He felt like he was there, talking to them like they are his real families. For a fraction there, this place felt like home. His subconscious reaction was to pout.

Mari-nee laughed out loud, pointing her chopstick to him with a wide grin on her face. "See? You're so easy to tease." Then she stopped all of a sudden, looking thoughtfully at Yuuri. "Sorry, Yuuri. You're having such a hard time and we give you even more. We're very sad not being able to meet our Yuuri, but, if he's happy, I guess that's worth it."

Her words, they were not lies. Yuuri's eyes brimmed with tears. He bit his lips.

"Can you tell me just one thing?" Yuuri nodded so fast, he was afraid his neck would snap. "Is he happy there?"

"I can confidently say this, because we're basically the same person inside. He's happy. Definitely." From the corner of his eyes, Yuuri saw Victor smiled behind his hand. "He left because there's someone he wanted to meet."

Katsuki Toshiya suddenly put down his chopsticks with a slap. Then, he stared at Yuuri hard. Yuuri swallowed nervously. "Who?"

"E-eh…" He took a stealing glance at Victor again. Victor slowly licked a stray grain on the corner of his lips. Yuuri flushed hard, suddenly remembering the same lips and tongue that put a screeching halt to his brain function earlier. Tensely, he looked away and shifted the slightest inch further away from Victor.

"I see," he heard Toshiya said with amused tone.

Busy fighting down the heat, Yuuri missed the scene where his new family looked between him and Victor with adoring snicker. Yakov shook his head and resumed his dinner. Yurio and Victor remained oblivious throughout the night.

* * *

Yuuri sat on the living room, flipping the pages of his counterpart's childhood album. He was so cute and chubby at one-year-old, Yuuri laughed to himself, searching his memories if he was ever that adorable. He flipped another page and read the description under the photo, smiling as he recognized the very same skate shoes his parents bought him. He was six years old then.

Another page flipped. He laughed out loud. With the Ice Castle's rink in the background, a very young Yuuri's eyes were red from crying. Yuuko scolded Takeshi. Even just from pictures, he could have imagined the scene really happened to him. Takeshi teased him, Yuuri cried, then Yuuko got mad at the bigger boy. It was the very same childhood he had.

"What's that?" Victor nudged his feet and leaned sideways, trying to have a good look at the picture.

Yuuri moved the album until it rested between their thighs. "I remember the same exact scene from this picture."

"Hmm, you were so cute," Victor said, tapping the picture with his finger. Yuuri reddened a bit.

"Stop flirting, you two disgusting old men. Yuuko asked if you're going to the Ice Castle today. She wanted to apologize for the video her children uploaded. It's becoming an annoyance because her Instagram is bombarded with questions." Yurio said, huffing while reading the message out loud. "This is a 21st century, for God's sake. Get a phone!"

After dinner last night, Yuuri was given a nice surprise. Yakov and Yurio never said they believed his story, but at least they accepted who he was. His families were shocked, but after hearing about the other Yuuri doing fine and happy, they accepted him. They said, Yuuri was separated from his parents too, so they would be his family from now on.

Another surprise came in shape of the Nishigori family and Minako-sensei. They appeared after dinner, then just went on rambling about how they accepted Yuuri and trusted him, no matter how incredulous his story was. They've always been his very first and loyal supporters. Yuuri cried a lot that night.

Coming back to the current conversation, Yuuri blinked. Why didn't Yuuko just call him… Oh, yeah. He didn't have a phone yet here.

"Sorry, it just never crossed my mind. Please tell her OK. I plan to go there soon anyway." He paused then, catching up with Yurio's statement. "…video? What video?"

"Video of you skating Victor's SP program, you dummy!"

Yuuri looked even more confused, then horrified. "What? I never showed anyone that one!" He groaned, then, slapping a hand to his face as he realized something. "Those three devils…"

Suddenly, Yuuri froze. Yurio and Victor tilted their heads to look at Yuuri's face. He turned really blue. "D-d-don't tell me…t-t-they…uploaded it?"

Yurio growled, annoyed that only now Yuuri realized it. "Of course they had! It's a good thing it went viral. Otherwise, how do you think we were able to track you down?"

"V-v-v-v-viral…?!"

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Yuuri turned to Victor. His eyes were wide and frantic. Victor winked sweetly and then took Yuuri's right hand and kissed the back of his hand.

"They even had the address written down. The moment I know those adorable triplets were sukeota3sisters, I kissed them so hard, I think they fainted. After all, they had uploaded one very amazing video. But most importantly, they lead me to you. Yuuri?"

"Someone kill me now." he groaned, then dropped dead on the floor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really quite sad...my baby's at the ending chapter. I have one epilogue left. So, anyway, as usual, let me know what you think and I'll see you again in the last update!


	8. The End of One, The Beginning of Another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue ;A;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long. I plan to have this one posted together with the alternate story, but I'm not satisfied with what I have wrote...I need to fix that one first and it might take too much time then LOL. So, I decided to post this epilogue first.
> 
> Thank you very much, dear readers/subscribers, those who have commented this story and giving me kudos. I love you all! Thank you for sticking so long with me. I hope to see you again!
> 
> Please read the end A/N at the bottom of this page too! It's important! Thanks~
> 
> This chapter is not betaed. Sorry for any mistakes.

**May 3rd, Hasetsu.**

When Victor and Yuuri arrived at Ice Castle, there was a…large horde of people. Most of them, as Victor knew, were reporters. Though not as bad as Victor, Yuuri had his share of a star-time after all. Yakov and Yurio was following closely behind them. The youngest cursed loudly the moment he saw the commotion.

This was actually an event already predicted to happen. The three Russians were far more surprised that this took so much longer to turn into a commotion than they thought. Having expecting it didn't mean they must like it all the same though. These reporters could be a very bad hunters and really loved to exaggerate the fact.

Stealthily, the four of them walked over the sideways, hoping none of the crowd would catch on. There is a back door, according to Yuuri, and they would just use it to avoid the mass.

To be completely honest, Victor never once believed that they would pass the crowd unnoticed. Realistically, they were _different_ physically. Silver hair plus blond hair were very eye-catching when they were in the middle of mass with jet-black hair. While it's now spring and the trees had grew with various beautiful colors, a very tall head of almost-white, a very beautiful blond fairy, plus a very cute raven (plus he's probably the main target) were a bad combination despite all the colorful colors from the blossoms around them. Note that Victor purposely excluded Yakov from the 'eye-catching' group.

As he expected, it took only one turn, one short glance from one person, to break all hell loose. At one second, they were still creeping through the sidewalk, hoping the trees would at least make them least obvious. The next second, he heard someone screamed their names.

In just a mere second, they were surrounded by hyenas flashing cameras and flooding them with questions.

"Katsuki Yuuri-san, what do you think of your video becoming viral?"

"Katsuki-san, where did you learn ice-skating? When did you start?"

"Victor Nikiforov-san, what is your relationship with Katsuki-san?

"Victor-san, will you tell us your opinion on your SP that was performed by Katsuki-san?"

"Are you here because of this viral video, Victor-san, Yuri-kun?"

"You brought your coach here, does that mean Katsuki-san is going to be learning under coach Yakov too?"

Victor couldn't even start to answer one. Behind him, Yuuri handled them quite well, unexpectedly. He smiled tiredly at them and proceeded to walk again, this time to the front door. Victor exchange glances with Yakov and Yurio. Yakov nodded to him, saying they had no choice but to follow Yuuri.

"Sorry, that is personal. I can't answer you," he heard Yuuri said.

Victor paused, thinking to himself. "I guess this is an evidence enough that Yuuri's story is not a lie. He handles this very well, like one very used to be in the same situation." Victor voiced his thought.

He had expecting Yakov to reply, or worse a silent treatment from both Russians behind him. Astoundingly, it was Yurio who said, "I don't think he lie from the start. Despite what he said, that pig never lies. He simply decided not to tell the truth, and we assumed."

Both Yakov and Victor turned to look at him as if he had just grown two heads. "What?!" Yurio snapped.

Shrugging, Victor allowed a small grin and went after the crowd and their star.

Yuuri stopped at the front door to the ice-rink, looking exhausted. He had been trying not to let any of them entered the place, making himself the target and barring the hyenas from his safe haven. "Sorry, please leave."

"If you're here, Katsuki-san, then does that mean you're practicing for the competition? Are you competing in the next Grand Prix?"

Victor finally reached Yuuri's side just in time to catch the raven's stunned reaction.

"Eh…what? I—"

Having fought his way to win the GPF five times, Victor knew how it felt to be in the constant state of anxiety. The rush feeling when the music start and everything disappeared from your mind. It was an addicting feeling. Despite the fear and nervousness, when he won, it was the best kind of accomplishment. Even if you lose, you'll still come back, hoping to have a taste of the sweetest nectar called 'winning'.

Victor was sure Yuuri felt the same kind of exhilaration one could only taste in an intense competition. At one point when he lost, Yuuri might've decided to quit. But it was so clear to Victor that Yuuri wasn't ready to retire. If he had, he won't perform Victor's SP with such dedication. While having the right motivation, he wouldn't be able to bring out an outstanding performance in his free.

Yuuri wanted to return. Victor was very sure of that.

"You're past 20, but doesn't mean you can't compete. If you're entering the next Grand Prix, who's going to be your coach, Katsuki-san? Is it coach Yakov, as expected?"

This time, it was Victor's turn to be stunned. Against his better judgement, he wrapped a hand on Yuuri's shoulder and pulled him in.

"If Yuuri decides to compete one day, I will be his coach. I won't let anyone else take that away from me," he countered.

That answer, in returned, silence the reporters. Taking the chance, he herded Yuuri away from them. Yakov and Yurio followed them hastily, having recovered from the shock pretty fast. They locked the door, then turned the door sign to 'close'.

"Are you serious, Vitya?"

Victor ignored the question. He didn't stop until the reporters' voices were but a fading sound in the background. When the noise became nothing but a buzzing on the side, Victor turned suddenly, facing a shell-shocked Yuuri.

"Yuuri," he started, forcefully bringing Yuuri's face up. "Do you want to return?"

Trembling lips parted, stuttering a forced response. "I-I'm not…I don't know, Victor…"

"If…if one day," Victor brushed Yuuri's lips with his thumb, then allowed himself to breathe in deeply. He leaned in, touching Yuuri's forehead with his. Blue eyes fixed themselves to his finger that was still on Yuuri's lips. "If one day you decided to return, I will be your coach. I won't let anyone but me to have that privilege."

Yuuri chuckled lightly. "Not even Yakov?"

"…maybe Yakov, only if I failed." He smiled back an answer. "It'll be great if we can stand on the same ice, Yuuri."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

They laughed at Yurio's annoyed complaints.

* * *

**May 17th, Hasetsu.**

Slowly, each and every day, the number of the reporters began to diminish. The viral effect had waned, and peace returned for Yuuri and Victor. Not that they cared about their pictures were spread to the world, but as expected, it was getting annoying when people commented their photo at Victor's Instagram just to ask if they were a pair. What wasn't clear enough, really?

"Say, Yuuri," Victor caught his hand. They were walking back from the Ice Castle to the inn, passing the sea. Some children were playing on the shore, with the temperature warming up. The sun was blinding today. "Yuuko said asked for the video of your own free skating. What's that for?"

Yuuri laced his fingers to Victor's, pulling the latter to walk beside him.

"Originally, I did plan to have it recorded. I'd ask Yuuko, but at worse, I'll just record it myself. But, anyway, I want to left something for Yuuri."

"The other Yuuri?"

The raven skater nodded. "I don't know how yet, but I just want him to see the ending of our dreams. We have both fail in each of our own respective worlds. He said, this is our second chance. That's why, I want him to see the program I created for him."

Victor hummed, then tugged at Yuuri's hand when Yuuri walked past the grand prix champion. Yuuri stopped only to take a few steps back, facing Victor.

"What's the deciding factor? Have you found your reason for not returning to your own world?"

At first, he wanted to go back. When he saw that news, Yuuri was strike with the sudden revelation that he might have found a way back in Hasetsu. But coming back here, instead of wanting to go back, he's more likely refused given the chance. Why…? What's different between here and there?

"I think…this is just a thought, okay!" Yuuri turned slightly crimson from his cheek to his ears. "I tried to think of what's so different. Why I failed there. I can't say I've succeeded here, but, I did feel a strong attachment that I did not there. When I failed, no one gave me a reason to get up again. So I fell deeper into despair. It isn't the same case here."

"Someone gave you a reason to stay."

"Yes. Someone precious," Yuuri brought their entwined hands, shifting his finger so he held Victor's hand instead. He trailed butterfly kisses on Victor's hand lightly, murmuring to his warm skin. "You gave me reasons, Victor. Not just one, but many of them."

Victor squeezed his hand, then another slipped behind Yuuri's neck, pulling the raven close. "I'm honored to be able to make you stay, золотце." He planted a chaste kiss to Yuuri's lips. "So, did you put in that recording we make? Where do you plan to put the CD?"

Pushing back against Victor's chest, Yuuri smiled and resumed their walk. "I've included that one after my performance. Also, I've placed it… In the secret compartment under my desk! Then pray a lot so that Yuuri will get that disk!"

"Haha. Aren't you depending too much on miracles?"

"But it _IS_ a miracle in the first time!"

"Ah, Yes, yes. Of course. You're right."

As they walked, hands intertwined, hearts connected, little did they know that Yuuri's prayer had been answered. A single ring of a bell, soft and hardly noticeably, then the CD he put was gone.

Far, far away, in a world that no longer belonged to Yuuri, another Yuuri woke up, to the same sound. A bell. A laugh. A voice that spoke to him so gently. A familiar voice. A presence of calm. Someone who'd become his new reason to live.

A start of a new beginning. A seed was planted, and now it had grown splendidly, though it was still a very small blossom. At another time, another seed was planted, far, far away from the first.

* * *

**December 15th, Detroit.**

_It hurts so much…_

His body was hurting. There were screams everywhere. The smell of burning flesh, the smell or iron, the smell of spilt gasoline, they piercing his nose, making him retched.

It was dark outside. In between his panic-laced mind, he vaguely remembered taking a bus from the airport. Snow rained down quite heavily tonight, and Yuuri expected slow traffic due to the piling up snow. Never did he expect the bus he got on slipped on the ice. There was a very loud screeching sound of harsh braking, then a loud crash and they just…fell.

Everything happened relatively fast for him to remember. From the sudden brake, to the fall. But Yuuri's mind remembered with clarity the very seconds where everything started to move in slow motion.

He had worn his seat belt, despite finding the item highly restrictive. It was one of those nights where he suddenly felt the urge to obey the rule. Like something bad is going to happen otherwise. Most of the times, it was just a false alarm, but not today. Not tonight.

They were falling down the bridge. He heard a shriek of people not wearing their belts fell down through the broken front window. He watched in horror as their eyes met, pledging him to extend his hands, saving them from assured deaths. Yuuri did. He reached out, but gravity had too much force playing.

Their eyes were filled so much hatred and fear, screaming a silent question of 'why they were the one dying?' and 'why didn't Yuuri do better to save even one of them'. Those eyes, those questions would probably haunt him for so long…if he survived. Actually, he doubted he would survive the fall.

There was a very loud crash, one that sounded like a glass windows fell down from 13th story room. He felt sharp pain to his sides. He tasted blood. Then, in the midst of his hazy consciousness he heard approaching sounds of siren.

His body hurts so much, his joint creaked every time he tried to move. He was dying, he knew, but he tried to cling to life. He hated his life. He hated his failure, but Yuuri wasn't _that_ desperate to make his family sad.

_Is this it…?_ He asked himself.

Will this be his last moment? When he failed that competition so badly two weeks in London, he was devastated. It wasn't easy to put his broken pride and confidence back together again.

_I don't want to die…_

He prayed, squeezing his eyes. Tears fell down, never to his cheek, but mostly to the black-leather seat in front of him. He heard the bus creaked again, tilting to the right. Yuuri sat on the second row from the back, on the right side. If it fell, the glasses would probably have pierced his body if he was unlucky.

_I don't want to die! Please!_

"Please…" he pleaded to no one. He knew none could hear him, even if anyone other than him was still alive. No one would help him. But still, he begged.

He saw a large pool of blood, right at the moment when the bus started to fell to his side. He didn't feel more pain, because then everything just went dark.

* * *

**May 17th, Hasetsu. [Alternate World]**

Rain. The pitter patter sound of the rain. They fell on the roof like big teardrops fallen from the sky. The whole town was quiet. Gloom hung heavily in the air. Adding to the fact that the town was washed by rain for three days straight didn't help in the least. It actually made the mood worsen.

Yuuko patted sleeping Axel's head gently, lamenting on the somber feel. She reached over to the top of the drawer, taking a framed photo of her childhood friend and his poodle.

Tear fell, sliding down her cheek, down to the glass-encased photo. She missed him so much. They missed him too much. Yuuko and Takeshi took the triplets to the Yu-Topia almost every day as of late. They were afraid the people in the inn did something incredibly stupid.

Five months and two days. Yuuri was gone for that long of a time. There was no news, no hint whatsoever. He was just gone, as if he was spirited away.

At the first month, everybody was worried, but no one dwell too much on a negative thought. They assumed Yuuri was too engrossed with his practice. After all, it wasn't the first time that Yuuri forgot to call them when he was busy. However, it happened right _after_ his disastrous GPF. Yuuko felt that Yuuri must be very down then.

She tried to make a call after the GPF. Twice without answer. His mother called, five times, also without answer. The next day, they tried again. This time, the call was never connected. They must've tried the futile attempt for a hundred times already, if not more, to the same result.

They called the rink on the second day. According to some staff, Yuuri was last seen resting on the infirmary. After a quick confirmation with the doctor, he said Yuuri left around midnight after talking to one of the judge. They both assumed Yuuri went back to the hotel. However, the hotel staff said he was never seen returning after the GPF.

On December 14, Katsuki Yuuri disappeared from the world.

"Mom, I'm hungry…"

The voice of her girl startled her from the sad memories. She wouldn't allow her children to see her distress.

"Let's make some Katsudon, okay?"

"Katsudon…"

She trailed Axel's gaze to the same photo she had just put back on top of the drawer.

"I missed Yuuri so much…"

Hearing that small voice, the usual cheerful and obnoxious voice of her girl said that in low tone, it hurt her so much. Yuuko sobbed, hugging Axel hard.

"Mommy too, Axel…" She let herself let go of her building desperation. Axel didn't struggle in Yuuko's embrace. Being such a young girl, she understood the pain and hug her back. The warmth of her small hands penetrated her skin, reaching directly to her heart. "Why don't you go play with your sisters while mommy prepares the Katsudon? See, they've woken up."

"I will!"

Yuuko ruffled her head affectionately and went to Yu-Topia's kitchen. She paused right beside the open door. It wasn't that she stopped on purpose. Yuuko couldn't get in. Not when she heard Hiroko's muffled sobs turned into a hiccups. She seemed to have cried for quite sometimes. Yuuko looked up, finding Mari's eyes just as dead.

There was a big hole. A very big gaping hole left when Yuuri disappeared. Even nearly half a year, the pain was still so fresh in their minds, creating a permanent scar to their hearts.

But they couldn't stay like this forever. Yuuri would be sad, and Yuuko wouldn't let her dearest baby brother feel sad.

Purposely raising the volume of her voice, she said to the blond girl, "Mari! I'm about to make some Katsudon. Would you like some?"

Mari's eyes widen, but quickly caught on Yuuko's intention. She cleared her throat loudly and replied, "Yes. I'd like that."

Yuuko nodded gratefully and entered the kitchen. Hiroko was smiling, though her eyes and nose were puffy and red. Yuuko didn't say anything, and Hiroko wasn't about to start. In complete silence, the two began to work.

* * *

**May 17th, Hasetsu [Alternate World] - Katsuki Yuuri's Room.**

"Hey, Axel, mom's gonna get mad at us," Lutz looked around, hoping no one would find them sneaking around the house.

When Lutz and Loop woke up, Axel were already awake, watching their mother walked away with a deep frown unbefitting their age. The other two didn't know what was going on with their sister's mind when she suddenly said she wanted to go to Yuuri's room. But being a triplet, that meant, wherever Axel go, Lutz and Loop would follow.

"What are you looking for, Axel?" Loop looked around the room. It didn't feel like the owner was gone for so long, she noted sadly. There were a few top skaters' posters on his wall, but no one particularly stood up. Loop switched her attention to her sister again.

"There must be something that caused Yuuri to disappear. I want to find a clue," Axel answered with a renewed Vigor. Her eyes were burning with determination. "Then, mommy and daddy wouldn't look so sad every time! We can eat more happily together with Mari-nee-chan, then oba-san and oji-san too!"

Lutz and Loop immediately perked up, most definitely taken away by Axel's persuasion. In no time, the triplets run amok, pulling and shifting things where they felt they would find a big treasure inside. They looked into the wardrobe, under the bed, inside the drawer, even inside the pillow. There was nothing.

It was maybe just a mere coincidence, when Lutz suddenly yelped in surprise. Loop and Axel harried off to their sister.

"What is it, Lutz?"

With eyes as big as giant marbles, Lutz shakily pointed to the darkness under the desk. "I thought I heard a sound of bell, and then suddenly there's some sparkly, uh… sparkly things. Then—then I saw that!"

"Saw what?" Loop tilted her head, approaching the desk. She and Axel heard nothing. But they weren't about to second guess their sister. They never lied to each other.

Sharing the same thought, Axel walked beside her, gripping Loop's hand as they both reached over to a small indent under the desk. Their small hands easily slipped inside the unknown space. Axel was the first to touch something hard and cold.

"I got something!" She announced to her sisters. Loop retracted her hand and worriedly looked over to Axel's hand. Lutz joined them, gripping Loop's t-shirt. Axel had to tiptoed a little to pull out the thin and hard thing from it. She thought it was a book, but it was not.

Encased in a thin transparent plastic case is a CD. It had something written on the cover, but they'd been taught Hiragana. Not the Latin alphabet. The writing on the CD was definitely in alphabet.

"Let's take this to mom!" Axel announced proudly. If the CD's been hidden in a secret place, it must be a very important CD, right? That meant, it might have a clue on Yuuri's where about.

The triplet rushed down back to the living room. The good smell of rice and fried Katsu immediately invaded their nose, watering their mouth. They jumped down the last step, making a loud thump on the wooden floor. Usually, their mother would've screamed them to stop, but not today. She wouldn't be angry at them for finding this!

"Mom! Mom! Look at this!"

Nishigori Yuuko had just finished arranging the bowl on the table. She turned just in time to catch her triplets that had run too fast and unable to stop. They all collided in their mother's arms, Axel being the front most was squished. Yuuko giggled, letting the three slowly untangled themselves.

"What is it, you rowdy triplets?" Her eyes, for a long time, twinkled in amusement.

Axel proudly pulled up the CD they discovered. "Look, mom! We found this!"

At first, Yuuko thought it was just another random CD of some skater. The three were quite often to bring her a new skater's CD. Their most recent one was Christophe Giacometti's FS.

She flipped the CD, her whole body froze in time. She read the title. Blinked. And read it again. She wasn't having a very bad dream right now, right? Yuri on Ice, the title said. No, she wasn't misreading this.

"Hiroko-oba-san! Mari-nee-san!"

Mari and Hiroko came rushing, sensing the urgency of her voice. "What is it, Yuuko? Are you in pain?" Hiroko immediately ran over, seeing Yuuko shook on her knees.

Still with trembling hands, she turned, eyes watery and tears already fell like the rain outside. In between the sobs, she gave the CD to Hiroko, "Yu—" she swallowed her sobs and tried again. "Yuuri…it says…"

What was she even talking about. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence, but she was overwhelmed. Too much emotions came to the surface at the same time, and she didn't know how to suppressed it. So, she just pointed a shaky finger at the CD's title.

"Yuri…on Ice?"

* * *

Their story started with a nonsense for most. But for them, this was a wonderful chance they would willingly die to have. A chance to change; a chance to meet the one meant for them. One had attained his happiness. Another…is waiting for his chance to bloom…

* * *

_Help me…_

_Save me…_

_Victor…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Note:**  
>  Золотце — one webpage says this means my gold, but a quick google translate says it means sweetheart (Russian).  
> Nee-chan — older sister (Japanese).  
> Oba-san — aunt (Japanese).  
> Oji-san — uncle (Japanese).  
> Otaku — well, do I have to explain? LOL. Otaku is someone who's really into something. Like, someone who's so into Yuri on Ice (namely, us!) are YoI otaku =3
> 
> **A/N:**  
>  Now, this story has come to an end. I'm so sad, but I guess I'm happy too.
> 
> Anyway...if you notice, there is a long gap between the dates in the beginning of the epilogue. 3rd to 17th. There's a side story (check my profile for the link. The title's Saving Us: Eros) happening in between these dates. It contains lemon and explicitly M-rated. I do not suggest you to read it if you're underage or dislike smut. Otherwise, do read ;D
> 
> After this final chapter, there will be a new story (the title will be Saving Us: Alternate) about the other Yuuri and Victor. Some of you may have asked in your comments, so yeah. I'm writing about them too. Been planning to since the beginning.
> 
> Thank you again for all of your supports! I hope to see you again =D
> 
> Edit 28/12: to prevent confusion, here's the basic timeline for the world [Two World's Timeline](https://i.gyazo.com/59d95da9b25a04ab01072d7f00d0ce02.png)


End file.
